Game of thrones
by Mizu-Tenshi
Summary: AU Valeria. Fai and Yuui are the heirs to Valeria's throne. In a world where you fight to stay on top or fall into ruin, they find peace within a single man. Or maybe that too is false. YuuixKuroganexFai. EPIC
1. Chapter 1

Wow, something new. This will be an epic! I get the shivers just thinking about it. I don't think I've ever tried writing something like this. Yuui/Kurogane/Fai, plus slight one-sided Freya/Yuui and mentions of Chii/Hideki. The Yuui/Fai can be platonic or otherwise depending on your interpretation. If I say any more I think I might spoil it.

Character crossovers from; Clover, xxxHolic, Rayearth, X, Chobits, TRC, RGVeda, CCS

It's AU-ish, so there are slight spoilers for Celes arc but not many. Set in a Valeria where twins were not seen as cursed. The twins are using their original names. In other words our!Fai goes by Yuui. Creepy twin Fai will be Fai.

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**Chapter one**

XX

The ballroom was filled with candles hovering close to the vaulted ceiling, suspended in mid air, floating on some invisible force. Their flames flickered dangerously close to a painted ceiling of white winged angels and dancing maidens whose eyes seemed to watch the men and women dancing beneath them.

Everywhere was lavishly decorated – marble columns, crystal chandeliers, polished floors and flowing tendrils, like twisting vines in blue lacquer, tumbling across the white walls.

Young nobles looked on from the sides whilst servants waited on them with wine decanters and platters of food. Many of the guests were dancing across the ballroom. The men in long, elegant robes trimmed with fur, decorated with gold and black spirals and fluid patterns led ladies in long gowns across the room. In the soft, dim glow of the candlelight, everyone seemed beautiful.

Fai reclined against his seat, silently checking himself in case he accidentally let a sigh of boredom escape his lips. The piece of music slowly treading across the ballroom could send him to sleep. The dancing Lords and Ladies only made him dizzy to watch.

Besides him, his brother caught his less than spectacular mood. "Cheer up! Parties are made for enjoying yourself!" he grinned and pinched Fai's cheek.

"But, Yuui, you like parties and people and noise. I'd rather be outside than cooped up in here," Fai waved his brother aside. Bored blue eyes gazed absently outside the windows. The night was pitch black, without a star to light the way. A blanket of silver snow stretched as far as it could before it was swallowed by the darkness and everything was lost in the indistinguishable gloom.

Yuui turned his gaze toward the musicians, then to the servants, then the dancers, scrutinising each one in turn. Perhaps he was looking for their mother. She had a penchant for immersing herself into the crowds at social functions such as these.

"I like the open air as much as anyone but you've got to get used to these things too. Why don't you ask some pretty girl to dance? I can introduce you to someone if you like," his eyes shifted to his brother's face, so much like his own, working his lips into a small frown.

"I don't really like dancing either," Fai sighed.

"That's a lie! You always seem to be enjoying yourself when _I_ dance with you," Yuui promptly slid off of his seat. "Dance with me then!"

Before he could protest, Fai found his wrists in Yuui's grasp, and that he was being hauled into the crowd of dancers.

"H – hey! I can walk!" he lamely objected as he was led through the weave of bodies waiting for the next song to start.

They used to dance together a lot when they were younger, when they were just learning the basics of formal dance.

Yuui took Fai's hands and placed one of them on his waist. The music began – a steady sonata that propelled all of the couples into motion.

They moved steadily; in and out, twirl, step, step, twirl. Feet moving to the precise beat of the music, feet swaying, bodies closing the distance between them and then moving apart again.

They had danced this dance before. A thousand times before. It was just like breathing. Fai did not even have to think.

As they spun close to the sidelines, Fai heard one of the ladies gasp "Look! The princes are dancing!" to her neighbour and wondered what they must look like to their audience.

It was a strange sight. It was almost surreal, almost angelic. Two nearly identical brothers dancing with each other, their robes swishing around their feet as they moved, the candlelight casting a halo of white atop their blond hair.

Fai wondered if they were admiring his brother properly. If they could see the tender smile gracing his lips that he, at such close proximity, could see.

His bother was always so cheerful. He was always so bold. Always smiling as if there was, and would always be, something in the world that secretly delighted him. He never seemed to let that mask of perfected politeness slip when in public.

"How wonderful!" The ladies in watched in their ornate dresses of pleats and frills, of gathers and ruffles.

"Prince Fai only ever seems to dance with his brother," they whispered to each other.

"Maybe they should marry each other!"

"It would certainly solve any nasty problems that arise when deciding who will inherit the throne."

"Don't even talk about such nonsense!"

By the time the song trailed onto its last note, the servants had begun milling around again, offering wine and gently spiced delicacies to all.

Fai and Yuui broke apart, the former smiling with enjoyment, the latter grinning as if he had won a bet.

A man in a long black coat, lined with fur, strode in. He clicked his polished heels together. After a swift bow and a tip of his hat, he raised his chest and called out loud, "Announcing, Lady Freya!"

Many of the guests looked towards the entrance with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Others seemed annoyed and frustrated. To arrive late to such a party was abominable, but those emotions transformed into pure shock as Freya shrugged off her cloak and stepped inside.

Her long blonde hair reached her waist, appearing silver in the shadows of the doorway, gold in the warm candlelight. Her black butterfly dress was imprinted with a white fleur-de-lis on the back, silver thread lacing the hems, translucent grey gossamer ribbons trailing over her shoulders. Her skirts were shorter than most of the ladies' dresses, standing almost horizontally at the waist.

Heels clicked against the hard floor. Sharp amber eyes darted around the room before resting on a certain point ahead of her.

A sudden hush fell over the room.

"Why is she here alone?" tiny whispers penetrated the silence.

"Look at her," they hissed behind their hands as Freya strode through the parting crowd. If she heard their gossiping, she ignored it, keeping her eyes and head fixed on the wall ahead of her.

"Eleventh in line for the throne, I hear."

"I suppose that father's measly connections do not matter much now. There's no way anyone but one of the twin princes will succeed the throne now."

"She could always marry whichever one becomes the crown prince."

"But have you heard?"

"You mean the rumour about her sister? Of course! I feel sorry for Lady Freya, having a sister like that!"

"If it's true, it would be a disgrace upon their family."

"Don't even talk about such nonsense!"

"They're at it again," Yuui seemed amused by the sight of the gossiping ladies trying to appear inconspicuous.

"I wish they would find something more productive to do with their time other than sit and gossip," Fai sighed as he caught some men speaking to each other in conspiring tones.

The court seemed full of all sorts of talk, and the gossip never flowed as freely as it did during a dance. Passionless marriages, sordid affairs, embittered nobles seeking revenge, unrequited love and scandalous elopers, such functions were always rife with rumours.

Fai was quietly pondering if there were any unwanted tales about himself or his brother floating around that he did not notice Freya approaching them until she spoke.

"Yuui-sama, Fai-sama," she curtsied in greeting, dipping barely low enough to convey the required amount of respect.

Around them, both Fai and Yuui could feel the disgruntled guests shifting awkwardly, frowning disapprovingly. '_Who does she think she is_?' they were most probably thinking. '_She may be royalty but_ she's _only eleventh in line. Such a curt greeting_!'

Freya stared blankly at them. Fai was beginning to feel awkward when Yuui stepped in. "'Sama' is too formal. Yuui-chan is much cuter, don't you think?" he smiled carelessly.

His words seemed to break whatever tension had been simmering in the air. The musicians picked up from where they had stopped and couples joined to dance again. Conversation returned to the room, though many of the guests had found something new to discuss.

"Freya-san, where is Chii-san?" Fai asked.

"Is she sick? Are your mother and father staying to look after her?"

"She is not sick," Freya spoke laconically, although her voice was raised a little so that everyone nearby could hear. "They are not coming."

"Oh!" Fai looked surprised. Then her words sunk in and his face took on a thoughtful expression. "Oh…I see,"

"They send their apologies for being unable to attend, Fai-sama," she nodded, though her neutral tone made it hard to believe that she was sorry.

Yuui laughed and he nudged Fai with his elbow. "With all these samas and sans flying around, no wonder you feel cooped up." A fast-paced violin melody picked up. Yuui turned and offered his hand to her, "would you do me the honour of this dance, Freya-chan?"

The change on Freya's face was barely noticeable but, for a moment, her expression was completely open. She looked almost like a little girl, not cold and impenetrable as she had been before.

This rare expression vanished in the blink of an eye. Warily, as if she was afraid of being bitten, she accepted Yuui's hand.

Yuui had a queer expression, a mixture of delight, amusement, and curiosity, but before it was time for the dancers to take their places he sent his brother a small, questioning look.

"Don't worry, Yuui, I won't get lost without you," Fai smiled and waved them off.

He watched the two for a while, they both danced gracefully and seemed to easily take the centre spotlight, before he allowed his mind and his feet to wander away. As he passed the window, he caught sight of a carriage pulling just outside.

He heard a man close by sip his wine and nod outside. "Look who it is."

"Why were they invited?" his companion turned to the window curiously.

"Who is it?" Fai stepped behind them.

The two men almost jumped. "A – ah! Prince Fai! It is no one of importance!" they cried but their hurried responses only caused him to frown.

The porter came to the door again. Another late arrival.

"Announcing, Lord Kurogane and Lady Tomoyo!"

On cue, a man and a woman stepped into the light. The man was tall and gruff. He looked both tense and powerful, like an animal that had just been put into a cage. His red eyes scanned the scene disapprovingly with what seemed to be a permanent frown fixed to his lips.

The woman by his side, however, seemed much more open and relaxed. She smiled pleasantly and looked on at all the pretty ladies with much delight. Both had jet-black hair, hers reaching the small of her back whilst his stood up in short spikes.

"Are they foreigners?" Fai questioned. He had never seen the two before.

"No, their father was some knight somewhere until he somehow managed to marry the baroness of Suwa, a small place far east of the capital. They're only here today because the father was famed to have been an excellent knight."

"No real standing in the court," they started the flames of judgement again.

"From some backwater part of the country."

"Next to no connections."

Yet Fai hardly heard their criticism. He was too entranced watching the newcomers make their way through the room.

The woman smiled at everyone and immediately got into a conversation with a young lady next to her. However, the man besides her leaned against one of the marble columns and spoke to no one, annoyed that he was even inside the ballroom.

Maybe he could get Yuui to introduce him, he thought before he shook his head. Yuui would not know these people either. In that case, he would take the initiative.

XX

They moved across the ballroom, dancing in time with the melody. Their clothes billowed as they twirled, limbs moving as if they were flowing through the air.

The kept their eyes locked on one another until Yuui leaned forwards. "Hey, Freya-chan, what are you planning?" he whispered into her ear, his tone light and casual, as if he was wondering what she had eaten for lunch.

"Whatever do you mean, Yuui-sama?" he could feel her smiling dryly.

"You made Chii stay behind, didn't you? Even is she is twelfth in line, coming after you, attendance is mandatory. Are you trying to affront the rest of the royal family?" he continued, his gaze pinned on something other than his dancing partner.

"You should not be concerned. I know what I am doing."

The dance came to a halt and they both parted a little. Though Freya stayed fixed attentively on her partner, Yuui's eyes immediately wandered in search of his missing brother.

"Oh, look," Yuui smiled with delight when he found him, "Fai's found a friend." He stepped back and made a beeline for his brother.

Freya said nothing as he left. She moved away from the dance floor before she could look awkward standing there without a partner. She had yet to greet the queen, though the twins' mother had apparently disappeared.

Nevertheless, she made her way to the clearly empty thrones at the very end of the ballroom. She halted as soon as her eyes settled upon a young man sitting on the small steps of the raised platform.

"Freya-chan!" he waved her over, smiling pleasantly.

Freya regarded the man cautiously. He was seventh in line, though that meant nothing as none but Fai or Yuui was sure to succeed the throne. Nonetheless, she only took a single step forward. "Yuuto-san," she nodded, giving him a blank expression.

The man smiled as if she had greeted him warmly, though there was something in that smile, something slightly sinister. "And how is my dear cousin today?"

XX

"I'm glad to see someone else is feeling a little out of place at these sort of gatherings," Fai gave the man a ready smile as he approached him.

The newcomer gave him a nod of acknowledgement but merely grunted in reply.

"Kurogane has no social skills. If it were up to him, he'd spend all day talking to his sword," the woman, Tomoyo, Fai believed her name was, stepped in on behalf of the man.

This managed to pry a few words from his reluctant lips.

"I would not!" he shot at her, frowning with disapproval, though his affections for her were hard to conceal.

"You must be good if you're the son of a famous knight," Fai tried to pursue conversation with him, "do you think you could beat me…or my brother for that matter?"

Kurogane grinned wolfishly and said, "I'd take you both on at once."

For a moment, Fai could say nothing. The man's confidence astounded him. He did not seem like the boasting either and his tone was so different from the frightened, falsely humble nobles that tried to please him every day.

When he finally gathered himself enough to reply, he felt a slender arm snaking around his shoulders and someone pulling him against them.

"Ah, who's this?" Yuui held his brother close.

"My name is Tomoyo, Prince Yuui, and this is my brother, Kurogane."

Fai gently freed himself in time to see Yuui's expression go through several phases – curious, amused, mischievous.

"I haven't seen you around before. Where are you from, Kuro-chan?" Yuui said lightly, throwing in an odd nickname as if it were as normal to him as breathing.

Kurogane, however, thought the obscene mangling of his name was anything but normal. It was anything but amusing as well.

"W - what the hell did you just call me?" he exploded.

His voice echoed across the hall. The entire ballroom fell silent again, a dead silence thick enough to cut. This time, the expressions on all the faces were united in one of pure shock.

The silence seemed overwhelming. No one moved at all. Then, quietly at first, all eyes turned to a small, sniggering sound that slowly began to grow louder.

Fai tried to hide his face behind a curtain of blond hair. "I'm sorry. It was just - just…" he stuttered, trying to stifle his laughter with a hand.

However, Yuui was not so polite. "Kuro-chan looks like an angry doggy when he yells," he grinned and suddenly burst into fits of laughter.

This only caused more laughter from both Fai and Yuui. A moment later, Tomoyo joined in.

"Tomoyo!" Kurogane cried incredulously at his traitorous sibling.

"I'm sorry," Fai apologised through small chuckles, "it seems Yuui likes you."

Kurogane frowned and stubbornly folded his arms across his chest as he fought against a blush. "Then it's a good thing that I won't have to see him again," he muttered.

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Made a few brief changes. Mostly correcting some mistakes. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!


	2. Chapter 2

Yes it's me again. Thanks for everyone's support and advise. I didn't know the names would be so confusing but I'm sure it'll grow. About the hair, I always imagined it to be about pony-tail length.

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**Chapter two**

XX

Tomoyo was still grinning as she and her brother clambered into the carriage to take them back home.

Kurogane sighed with exasperation, his arms folded across his chest. The ornate carriage doors slid shut, leaving them trapped in a world of velvet seats and satin drapes for the entire journey. Living near the border would constitute for a very long ride home.

The driver snapped the reins and the carriage lurched forward. Outside, other lords and ladies were getting ready to leave, though their departures were long and full of well-wishing nobles bidding them goodbye.

Unconsciously, he sent his gaze searching for the queen that he had not seen all night, wondering if the two twins would be with her, bidding their guests a safe trip.

"Honestly," he sat back against the soft seats when he could not find them, "as the hosts, you'd think it would be polite for them to see _all_ of their guests off." Or were they too lowly to warrant a farewell?

Tomoyo smiled as if she had not heard his complaint. "Did you have a good time then?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? It was hell!" he growled, remembering how the twins ganged up on him, his indignation, the gleeful apologies from one and the merciless laughter from the other.

"But I've never seen you so lively before. Usually, you stand in a corner and sulk," she smiled, cheerfully oblivious.

"Being lively and enjoying myself are two different things," he grumbled. "And I don't sulk!"

"The princes were charming!" she continued and now he was sure that she was hardly listening to a word that he was saying.

"Charming? They have all the charm of a tundra rat," he snorted before positioning himself so that he could better look out of the window. If one of those twins was sure to succeed the throne, then the whole of Valeria was screwed.

XX

As the sun rose bright and early, Fai absently swung his legs back and forth, the back of his feet hitting the edge of the stone fountain where he and his twin sat. He idly glanced at Yuui, who was having difficulty negotiating with the silver fish swimming around the bottom of the fountain. His twin would swear on his life that they were planning some sort of mutiny.

The snow was scrapped away, leaving stone paths snaking through the courtyard. The sun shone bleakly against the snow, turning it pale yellow in the light. Bright blue flowers with crystalline petals poked through, their sharp leaves hanging with dew.

It was one of the quieter moments in the castle. Everyone still seemed to be resting days after that night of feasting and dancing. The guards at all four entrances to the courtyard were surreptitiously taking it in turns to sleep but Fai decided to let them be.

It was because of the inattentive guards that, when an approaching noble was announced, the oaken double doors took several minutes to swing open.

Fai turned away from the flowers as the doors closed again with a resounding boom. Even Yuui, who seemed to be making progress, broke off communication to stare curiously at the doors.

His curious expression turned into a smile.

"Ah! Chii-chan! Freya-chan!" Yuui waved the sisters over

As soon as they were spotted, Chii made an instant beeline their way whilst Freya hung back before reluctantly following her sister across the stone courtyard. They were easily distinguishable from one another in their opposing dresses – Chii in white, Freya in black.

Fai stood up to greet them as Chii approached first. "We missed you at the gathering last week."

"Chii is very sorry," she bowed.

"We have come to apologise in person to her majesty," Freya spoke monotonously, though both twins could tell that she was not at all pleased with these developments.

"Chii will go on ahead," she said and made to the east exit of the courtyard, to the hallway leading to the throne room.

Freya made to follow her but her sister smiled and held up a hand, shaking her head. "Freya has nothing to apologise for. Chii will go on ahead and be right back!"

"I'll escort you," Fai offered her his arm.

Freya made to protest, to insist that she accompany her sister, but she seemed to think better of it and nodded mutely. Chii nodded back, though more cheerfully than her sister. She took Fai's offering arm and together they walked back the way that they had come.

Both Freya and Yuui watched as the two hurried across the courtyard. The guards saluted and opened the double doors leading into the castle.

Yuui's eyes slid over to glance at Freya. Her lips were pursed into a thin line and her eyes seemed to narrow as the doors shut again with a loud boom.

"You can never say no to your own sister, can you?" he sighed. "Even after all that trouble you went to in order to offend everyone."

"She insisted on coming to apologise," Freya's normally neutral voice was edged with a slightly sour tone.

"Of course. Chii's a good girl after all," Yuui was unforgivably amused by her situation.

Though she was not easily provoked, her displeasure toward him made her posture stiffen. She shrugged. "I suppose that you've heard the rumour…concerning my sister," she murmured, still managing to sound almost nonchalant.

Yuui vaguely wondered what an angry Freya would look like. He had barely seen her with anything more than a bored but content expression, like a cat dozing in the sun. He tested the air a little and decided that it was still safe to tease her.

"Hmmm, and what if I have?" he absently waved a hand in the air. "Are you going to keep me guessing about how true it is?"

"Of course," she showed him her first smile of the day, though it was slightly a twisted smile. "Why would I let you know everything right away?" she said and calmly left him alone in the middle of the courtyard.

XX

With exception of the odd maid flitting about, the hallways were vastly empty. Royal trappings and replica swords hung on the marble walls in the spaces between giant suits of armour. Their footsteps echoed on the hard floor, ringing into the distance as they walked side by side.

"You must have been really sick if you could not attend," Fai commented, idly passing his eyes over a portrait of some distant and long dead king.

"Chii was not sick," her voice echoed across the walls, "Freya asked Chii to stay behind."

"Why would she do that?" he glanced at her sharply.

It was absurd that Freya would purposefully damage the position of her family. On the other hand, he could still distinctly remember how she had turned up alone and late to the party last week. He remembered her curt bow and the abruptness of her speech. Could it be possible?

A thoughtful expression crossed her face, a passing flutter that she was unused to holding. "Freya…If Chii can help. If Chii's family becomes more important, if Chii's family gains more power, Freya will definitely smile more."

"Why is that?" he kept shooting curious glances at his company as they walked but she did not answer.

"Chii only wants Freya to be happy," she said.

XX

After their 'duty' had been deemed done, the sisters disappeared somewhere in the labyrinth hallways of the castle, leaving Fai and Yuui once again to their own devices without much but a farewell bow from Chii.

Although Yuui was eager to continue his negotiations with the fountain fish, Fai managed to stealthily direct his twin's attention to the pursuit of indoor activities so that, at the very least, they would be within the warm walls of the castle.

They passed the candlelit hallways, heading for the main kitchen when something beyond the iron wrought double doors of the council chamber caught both their attentions as they passed it.

They both stopped at once. A shared glance told them that both had picked up on that eerie feeling, like a cold draft blowing through the doors.

Fai stepped forward first. The enormous doors to the council chamber were as intimidating as the ones at the front of the castle's entrance. Unlike the other doors inlaid with ivory and crystal, there were no flowery patterns or swirling lines dancing across the doors. A red mark, the crest of Valeria, stood against the hard oak, as if someone had branded it there with a giant iron.

He crept closer and pressed his eye to the slit between the doors.

"It's Clef-sensei!" he hissed but Yuui suddenly pressed a finger against his lips, motioning him to be silent. Together, they crouched behind the double doors.

"They may not be a threat at the moment but I believe that we should not underestimate them," the voice of the high wizard echoed calmly in the dimly lit council chamber.

They curiously peered through the open slit between the double doors where a trickle of light fell upon three men. Their heads were close together, lost in deep discussion. There was something on the silver table between them; a piece of parchment, a map. The oldest of the three was repeatedly stabbing his finger at a certain spot.

"What are you suggesting, Clef-sensei?" a smooth, light voice drifted across the air.

"Yuuto-san!" Fai hissed but Yuui quickly hushed him.

"Clef-sensei is too kind," Yuuto's voice now raised, yet polite and agreeable. Fai was sure that he was smiling. "I see no reason for that."

They heard Clef sigh. There was a shuffle of robes. Someone was pacing up and down the room.

It was Clef who spoke again, his voice was clearly distinguishable from Yuuto's false sincerity and fake politeness. "Suwa and the area around it is mostly flatland, without mountains, seas, or caverns. In addition, they're on the very edge of our borders, which puts it in a most - "

Yuui was unable to hear anymore. Fai had edged away from the doors and was looking at him strangely.

"They're talking about Suwa. Isn't that where Kurogane-san and Tomoyo-san live?" he asked worriedly. He waited but when his twin did not respond he reached out a hand and lightly touched him on the shoulder. "Yuui?" he prodded his face where a thoughtful expression had taken up residence.

Yuui turned to his twin, but his attention seemed forever snatched by the discussion in the council chamber. His eyes kept darting back to see if he could catch more. Every time he seemed about to speak he would stop and listen intently at the door.

Finally, he realised that Fai was still looking at him and he wiped away his pensive expression with a grin. "Oh! I just realised that we've never been as far as Suwa."

Despite Yuui's curious behaviour, Fai could not help the smile that wormed its way onto his lips. "So you're suggesting that we go impose on their hospitality?"

A pleased smile slid onto his twin's face, identical to the one his twin wore. He wrapped an arm around Fai's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"You know me too well," he whispered, highly pleased that, after over nineteen years, his brother remained as astute as ever.

"Of course I do," he shrugged nonchalantly and leaned back into his brother's chest where he tilted his head at an angle so Yuui could not see his frown. He knew his brother better than anyone. He also knew that Yuui wanted to pay a visit for a reason that was much more serious than he would admit.

XX

Morning had broken by the time Kurogane dressed and ambled out of his chamber. The light of dawn was just spilling through the circular windows, shooting beams of light into the dimly lit hallways.

The maids would already be up to ensure that everything was clean and breakfast ready by the time his mother woke. If the maids were up, doubtless Tomoyo would be pestering one of them for their measurements as well.

Just a fortnight after that stupid ball and he thought the aches and strains in his muscles would never go away. It was not as though he had even danced once, but for some reason that night had made him horribly grouchy, even more so when they had finally returned home after days on the road.

Kurogane yawned as he stepped out of the corridor, into the yard, not expecting there to be another person. He stopped dead, his eyes widening. His mouth opened but he could only manage a feeble, "W – what?"

"Hello," Fai bowed politely as they met. Snow fell from his fur-lined cape, black and blue flowers stood out starkly against his white coat. Maybe it was the last vestiges of sleep playing tricks on his eyes or some sort of magic, but the embroidered vines seemed to grow and the blue and black flowers tumble over the snowy, woollen landscape.

He did not return the dignified greeting. Kurogane froze. Was he still dreaming? This had to be some sort of dream.

"Hello!" Yuui popped up from behind his brother, waving at him with all the enthusiasm and energy of a small child. He wore identical clothing to his brother, as if their faces were not enough to stress that they were twins.

Now he was seeing double. No, Kurogane was sure that this was not a dream anymore. It had to be a nightmare.

Soft footsteps fell across the open yard. "Oh, I see you've found them already! Prince Fai and Prince Yuui will be staying here for a while. Or is it Prince Yuui and Prince Fai?"

Kurogane tried not to gawk.

Tomoyo's pleasant smile was sweet enough to melt sugar but there was something in her eyes, a gleam that he had come to recognise over the years as a sign of Tomoyo's delight in testing her dear brother's sanity.

"Don't worry," he vaguely heard Fai saying, though he had long forgotten what question the prince was answering. "If we stay silent, sometimes even our own mother can't tell us apart."

"They're staying here for a while? What for?" Kurogane shook himself out of his stupor. Did his mother know this? Did she approve? Of course she did, she could not turn down royalty. Doubtless, she would take as much pleasure in their appearance as Tomoyo. "Why are the women in my life always against me?"

"This is our land but we've never been to this part of Valeria before," Kurogane's muttering went unheard as Fai swept his gaze across the yard.

Yuui, however, seemed much more alert. "How about a guided tour, Kuro-chi?" he suggested.

Kurogane visibly recoiled as his name was brutally butchered before him. With a snarl, he forcefully grabbed Yuui's collar and pulled him forward so that he was glaring straight at him. "What the hell did you just call me!" he yelled.

Despite the sudden move, Yuui smiled serenely and said, in a perfectly pleasant tone, "You're awfully bold to someone who _may_ or _may not_ have you beheaded for manhandling royalty."

"You wouldn't dare," Kurogane smirked but he nevertheless released him from his grip.

"Oh, what makes you so sure?" Yuui looked equally amused.

Kurogane looked rather smug at this question. His wide smirk meant that he knew the answer to this riddle. "I know your type. You're not the kind of person who likes needless killing."

There was a short pause. Though it lasted for less than a second, Yuui regarded him with a sombre expression and Fai, catching even the slightest flicker of change across his twin's face, suddenly felt strangely uneasy.

Then the moment vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving Yuui chiming; "Kuro-rin's so smart!"

"Say that again and _I'll_ behead you!" Kurogane grabbed him again; either oblivious or ignoring the amusement it was causing his sister, who, at the moment, was busy grinning unabashedly at their confrontation.

"They get on so well, don't they?" she whispered and Fai could only laugh nervously and reply, "A little too well, I think."

* * *

Thus begins the build-up to our little story...and Chii and Freya's side story, and Yuuto's side story, and the deal with those fishes, and...you get the idea. Thanks to everyone for reviewing.


	3. Chapter 3

Argh! It was so hard trying to upload this. The site wouldn't accept word documents like it usually does so I had to upload it as txt instead and then do all the formatting by hand, so if something looks odd please tell me.

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**Chapter three**

XX

Fai had not expected such a generous welcome when they arrived at Suwa. Barring Kurogane's flustered annoyance; they had been graciously welcomed.

The castle of Suwa was a large but plain dwelling compared to the rich vastness of the castle that they had come from. He rather liked the modestly decorated walls and grey stone floor. Thick velvet trappings decorated the rooms, with hard redwood furniture that was blocky and solid compared to the fanciful and delicate designs of Valeria castle.

Although the first day passed without event, he supposed that that was only due to the shock of their unexpected arrival.

They managed to enjoy a relatively tranquil breakfast with Tomoyo and her mother only due to the absence of the brother and father. The father, Tomoyo had claimed, was away with many of the soldiers on business, and Kurogane...well, she supposed that he was avoiding them, though she assured them that he would not be able to stay away for too long.

As she predicted, they had hardly finished their morning meal when they heard footsteps thundering down the steps. They all raised their heads from the table, sharing a brief glance of wonder at what could be causing such a commotion.

Before anyone could ask, the door flew open and Kurogane charged in, ignoring the frightened servants that had been waiting on them.

He did not bother with a greeting. His outraged cry of "What the hell?" was directed at both Fai and Yuui.

Besides him, Yuui quietly lowered the teacup from his lips.

"Is something the matter, Kuro-pon?" he asked calmly.

Kurogane slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump. He stabbed a finger at the windows where below a large party of swordsmen and retainers were setting up camp on the castle grounds.

"What are all those people outside doing?" he demanded. "Do you expect us to feed all of those men?"

"They're perfectly capable of feeding themselves. Just ignore them. Could you pass the sugar please?" Yuui said, nudging Fai to send the sugar bowl his way.

Kurogane glowered at him. "Ignore them! When there's a small army outside the castle?"

Yuui, however, remained absorbed in growing a small island of sugar in his sea cup, and did not answer him. Kurogane watched him with a rising urge to remove the sugar bowl from the vicinity.

One teaspoon.

Two teaspoons. Three, four, five...

Sensing the approach of another conflict, Fai directed Kurogane's attention away from his brother. "It's our mother," he said. "She always frets unless we bring suitable protection. We can't worry our poor mother, can we?" he smiled.

"Now, Kurogane, their family simply wishes for them to be protected. That's not unreasonable," Kurogane's mother spoke serenely. She had a smile that seemed to calm everyone around her. Fai wondered if this was magic or just one of her traits.

"B...but mother!" Kurogane protested.

"Yes, Kurogane?" She smiled disarmingly.

He opened his mouth but, after struggling to find something to say, eventually pursed his lips and nodded dourly

Tomoyo turned her attention to the people outside the window. Her eyes gleamed as she surveyed the progress of their campfire. "Did you bring any maids with you?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, but feel free to borrow them if you want."

"Don't change the subject!" Kurogane snapped.

"What's the problem? You'd think it would be good to have extra protection whilst your father is away," Yuui smiled.

Fai sharply glanced at Yuui but his brother was not being generous in revealing his intentions.

"We don't need protection!"

"Kuro-chan's so ungrateful!"

"And will you stop calling me by those ridiculous names?" he seethed, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

The sanest of the company shared a submissive look amongst themselves. A sigh and a common thought of 'Oh dear, this might get messy' ran through them all.

"You seem to have an unhealthy attachment to your sword, Kuro-tan," Yuui noted with glee.

The corners of Kurogane's mouth were upturned in a wolfish grin. 'Only when you're around."

"Then would you like to spar?" Yuui suggested innocently.

"Can you even hold a sword?"

"Of course!" There was something in his tone, which suggested that he thought fighting against him would be easy. Kurogane looked annoyed

"Yuui," Fai admonished his whimsical brother, "be careful. Don't hurt our host," he cautioned but his words only succeeded in irritating Kurogane further and delighting Yuui, who only seemed to have heard the first part and had censored the rest.

XX

Yuui stood several feet away, testing the wind for some unfathomable reason. It was cold out in the courtyard. Snow from the previous night had piled up around the sides, though the flowers still managed to poke through.

"Think you're good, huh?" Kurogane growled, drawing his sword.

Fai crouched at the very end, furthest from both Yuui and Kurogane, a lone spectator. Tomoyo was more interested in the maids that they had brought with them, and their mother, the baroness, had smiled sweetly and declined the invitation to see her son attempt to beat up their possible future king.

He recalled Kurogane once claiming that he would take them both on at once but he did not remind him of it. He did not particularly feel like fighting at the moment. Rather, he would much prefer to be able watch his brother, and he was curious to see Kurogane's skills.

"Can I have a quarter staff instead?" Yuui asked when he was offered a sword.

"You prefer to keep at a distance?" Kurogane did not look surprised.

"I would rather use a bow but..." he trailed away and shrugged.

The servants returned with a shaft of hardwood, a metal cap on both ends. Yuui weighed it in his hands and nodded approvingly.

There was no indication of when the fight would start. Kurogane swung his sword through the air, testing its sharpness on the wind, which whistled as he cut through it. As soon as both were ready, they moved forwards.

With a roar, Kurogane charged, sweeping his sword in front of him in a curving arch. Yuui lifted his staff to block the attack and leapt back.

A ball of fire materialised at his summons. It bulged and vibrated as if about to burst, growing larger and larger, spinning brighter and brighter. Yet instead of it crashing to earth, it turned black and exploded into a protective smokescreen.

"Cheater!" Kurogane yelled as he cut through the smoke, slicing through dust, coming too close for Yuui's liking. He lashed out in warning and leapt backwards.

"People aren't going to play fair when they come knocking down your battlements, Kuro-chi!" he called.

Leaping into the air, Yuui aimed a blow at Kurogane's head, spinning around to catch him again with the other end. Kurogane deftly blocked it with the hilt of his sword. He dropped to earth and charged forward again, their weapons meeting in the middle.

Weapons clashing, retreating and then charging, they continued to fight without a clear winner in sight. Fai watched them heatedly battling, attentively noting down each and every detail for later reference.

Flipping backwards, Yuui crouched down and propelled himself forward. Kurogane side-stepped, feeling the wind rush past him as he darted by. He flew at him again.

Kurogane dodged past another shot at his abdomen. He did not realise it, but he was grinning. The battle, the fight, it exhilarated him. Sword raised, he slashed, sliced, and swept his weapon in dangerous circles, attacking rigorously. He raised his weapon again, ready to strike, when a sudden burst of smoke exploded between them.

"Okay, okay!" Fai clapped as he came between the two bewildered fighters. Perhaps they had forgotten his presence. "That was magnificent but look," he gestured to the sky. The sun had reached its zenith. "Most of the day is already gone."

Yuui wiped his forehead. "Well? What did you think?" he grinned at his brother. "I was great, wasn't I?"

"Another five minutes and you would have lost!" Kurogane growled but Yuui had censored out his complaints as well.

"You were both very good," Fai tried to placate both of them. It looked as if a peaceful break was not going to be an option.

XX

It was getting dark. She knew that she had been lounging around the castle in a daze for quite some time, but with nothing more than idle gossip and needlework to occupy a lady, there was hardly anything to hold her attention.

Instead, Freya felt more content in watching Chii collecting flowers from the beds around the courtyard.

They had all played in there once. The four of them - Yuui, Fai, Chii and herself - had always spent their afternoons in the courtyard. Crowns of amaryllis. Bright red hellebore opening just before the sun set. Plucking petals from flowers and trying to catch the fish in the fountain with their bare hands.

She only wanted Chii to be happy.

"Is something troubling you?"

Freya turned towards the face of mage Clef. It was unusual to see him out on evenings. As of late, he had been constantly kept in the council room or else tucked away in some remote corner of the library doing research.

She turned her attention back to her sister.

"He went to Suwa, correct?"

"Yes, both he and his brother suddenly announced their plan," Clef nodded then, following her line of sight, let his eyes fall upon Chii. He made a small 'ah' sound as if he could read her mind and said, "there's no need to worry about your sister. Rumours like those soon die down."

Freya's face remained expressionless. "It would be better if our family fell into ruin."

"What?" Clef looked at her sharply.

"Nothing," she stood up, brushing the snow from her dress. "I was merely thinking aloud."

XX

It was getting dark. Fai settled down on the snow and waited for his brother to return. Yuui had left only briefly to wash up. Once he had been assured that his brother would not need him, he settled in the courtyard and waited.

Sitting between two well-kept bushes of bright yellow flowers, he closed his eyes and tried to think about everything that he had seen. The land of Suwa was just as Clef had described; open flatland bereft of mountains and rivers. It was an endless plain of white that stretched into the far horizon where it met the sky. The castle and the surrounding town had seemed out of place against the white snow.

"Fresh air feels great!" he breathed. "The view really is fantastic. It's like it goes on forever."

Kurogane, who had still lingered around the courtyard after the fight, grunted in reply. He had no interest in a view that he had seen almost every day of his life.

"So, tell me, Prince, is everyone in the capital as bad at sparring as your bratty brother?" he scoffed, although one could have accused him of the traces of affection that barely shone through the thin veil of his scorn.

Fai smiled. Even though the fight had been settled as a draw, Kurogane seemed dissatisfied with the result, as if he had been robbed of something. No one would have called Yuui bad when they had been living in the royal castle. Even on his worst days, everyone oozed senseless praise.

"No, we're special cases," he replied, "though I think Yuui might be better than I am. He will definitely become the crown Prince."

"He's got all the charm of a stagnant pond," Kurogane snorted.

Fai looked at him as if he had just committed an act of blasphemy. "Yuui will become an excellent king!" he objected.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, dropped next to the prince. The cold snow bit into his legs as he sat but he shrugged off the feeling. "I fear for the day when all of Valeria will bow down to him and his whims."

"I'm sure that Valeria will be fine!"

"As long as he doesn't blow up the country," he muttered.

"I don't think that my brother knows how to blow up a country. Not yet anyway."

"That's comforting to know."

"B - but he wouldn't blow it up even if he did know how to!"

"Sure."

XX

As Yuui made his way back to the courtyard he spotted his brother and Kurogane sitting amongst the snow. They were probably both waiting for him to make his reappearance, though Kurogane probably would deny such an accusation.

Fai was earnestly protesting against whatever Kurogane had said to him. His mouth was mouthing rapidly, avidly protesting against something or other whilst Kurogane had a curious expression somewhere between a smirk and a wolfish grin. Perhaps he had been teasing his poor brother.

It was a strange sight. Only Yuui had had the honour of being able to effortlessly excite more than a polite remark from Fai. He somewhat dourly noted that seeing Kurogane able to do the same somehow made it less special.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he hardly noticed when another presence dropped right next to him, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

The figure crouched close to the floor, obscured by shadows and the bushes of blue mist. He was wrapped in black, almost merging with the evening gloom. A heavy hood almost hid his face. Crouched, he was a ball of darkness.

"Prince Yuui," the figure whispered. "Prince Yuui? I looked into what you asked me to last night."

His head did not turn. His gaze did not flicker to the figure besides him. He gave not outward indication that he had even heard the voice hailing him as he continued to watch Kurogane and his brother.

"Did you find anything interesting, Syaoran-kun?" he murmured underneath his breath.

Syaoran reached inside his robes for a small scroll. "Yes. This is it."

* * *

Ahaha! The plot thickens. Thank you for reviewing! 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the long wait! Well, I have been busy with exams and the like but I finally managed to complete the fourth chapter. I quite like this one. I put loads of hints into it and generally worked harder than usual. Phew, I'm exhausted!

* * *

**Chapter four**

"Kuro-tan! Kuro-tan! What's that?"

"Must you ask that question every five minutes?"

Kurogane sighed and tried to look away from the twin princes riding ahead of him. He did not even know how he got dragged into this 'sight-seeing' trip. What was there to see except a small, back-water town and a heck of a load of snow? Why was he always stuck with babysitting duties? In fact, why was he always the one being dragged everywhere like a pack mule?

"Fai, come over here!" Yuui pointed at a wooden figurine standing in a shop window. "Look! You can't find something like this in the capital!" he grinned with excitement.

"Like a kid in a toy shop," Kurogane muttered under his breath. Ever since yesterday, the twins seemed to be in a hurry to do everything. Though, more precisely, it was Yuui who was more exuberant than usual.

He was tired of being stared at all day by gawking, gormless peasants and scared milk maids. Their horses were the greatest things in the small, sleepy town standing below the castle. Their clothes and finery made them stick out like a sunstone in a snowstorm, earning them more than a few stares as hay carts and cattle herds pushed past along the stony streets. He hated the attention.

The princes continued to wander ahead. He did not think that the streets were particularly dangerous in the morning but the three of them, without any guards that would 'stifle the fun,' were targets for thieves. Not that he cared. He just wanted to go back.

"Hey, why are we shopping? Can't the 'great almighty princes' send their servants?" he yelled.

"If we did that, we wouldn't have an excuse to come down here," Yuui said blithely.

"It's a lovely town. There's no reason to be ashamed of it," Fai agreed.

"I'm not! I just think that there are better things to do with my time than shop," he growled, kicking his horse into a trot.

Fai reined his own mount and waited for him to catch up. He seemed to consider what Kurogane said but a second later he was pushing his brother into buying a souvenir for their mother.

"Two princes? More like two idiots to me," Kurogane muttered and rode ahead of them, down the path through the little thatched houses.

XX

Watching Kurogane riding in front of them, Fai took the opportunity to have a private word with his brother. Opportunities to talk between themselves had grown increasingly rare since their visit with Yuui always seeking Kurogane to tease or else accompanied by a fretting maid.

Now he leaned towards his brother, clearing his throat to get his attention. "Yuui, what happened last night?" he asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Yuui asked, pausing briefly to wave at a curious urchin.

Fai's expression softened but he was by no means deterred from finding the answer. They had never been able to keep secrets from each other, least of all now. "You've been acting strange. You're a bit too over-zealous even for yourself," he said.

Yuui absently shrugged. "I just learnt something interesting, that's all."

"Do you really think that it's serious?" he asked, secretly smiling as his brother struggled to keep the surprise from his face.

"I think that it's serious enough for Clef-sensei and the others to worry about," Yuui replied at length.

Fai chuckled, although the situation was hardly funny. "You can't hide anything from me," he smiled at him affectionately.

He wanted to reach out and ruffle Yuui's hair but he kept his hands tightly wrapped around the reins. "I understand why you want to try and do things all by yourself. The lords and ladies at court aren't very trustworthy and their always gossiping about this and that, but you can trust me. Your happiness is my happiness, so at least _I _would never betray you.'

"Of course you won't," Yuui nodded, offended that anyone could suggest otherwise. "I would never betray you either."

Fai smiled and diverted his attention to a small toy shop around the corner.

"Hey! If you two keep loitering back there, I'm going to leave you behind!" they heard Kurogane yell from the road ahead.

Urging their mounts into a quick trot, Fai pulled close to his brother. "We should head back for the capital soon," he whispered.

Yuui nodded and remained silent, eyes fixed upon the road ahead without recognising it. In that moment, his unguarded face spoke of displeasure.

XX

Dinner was served in the main hall with the Suwa servants as well as the maids brought by the twins standing ready to bring in the next course. Steaming soup and roasted boar served with berries and blue coloured leaves simmered in gleaming silverware. The air was warm, heated by the candles spread along the centre of the table, smelling faintly of primrose and lilies.

They ate with Tomoyo and her mother, though the father was still away on business. Whilst Fai complimented the baroness on her castle, Yuui was in the middle of a discussion about magic with Tomoyo.

"By the way, Kuro-chi, you can't use magic, can you?" Yuui turned towards him.

He put down his fork.

"Is that a problem?"

"No, but I was just thinking that it might be a weakness in the castle's defences not to have a few trained mages under your service," Yuui spoke unusually rationally. It unnerved him.

"Both my mother and Tomoyo are more than capable of producing defensive barriers," he shrugged.

Yuui bolted to his feet. He backed away with a gasp, eyes wide and hands slapped across his mouth in mock horror. "S - So you'll give all the hard work to your poor mother and sister? The very people who already do everything to care for you? How heartless, Kuro-chan!" he cried with feigned shock.

A moment of silence swept over the dinner table.

"I'll leave a few of our mages in your care then," he patted Kurogane's back and calmly took his seat.

Though Fai smiled mindlessly, Kurogane groaned. If they did not leave soon, he would surely go mad.

"This castle was built by your ancestors, wasn't it?" Fai quickly changed the subject and took to gazing out of the windows. "It's quite a sight poking out of the flat snow."

Yuui bolted to his feet. He backed away with a gasp, eyes wide and hands slapped across his mouth in excitement.

"What now?" Kurogane snapped.

"The view from the top must be amazing! Hey, Kuro-chan, show me the way to the top!" he cried.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Let's bring a few drinks too!" Yuui enthused, hardly hearing his protests.

Dragging a reluctant Kurogane to his feet, Yuui managed to pull him as far as the door when another chair was pushed back and Fai rose from his place.

"You too?" Kurogane groaned.

"We're brothers after all. Or did you want me all to yourself, Kuro-chi?" Yuui smiled coyly.

"Sh – Shut up!" he spluttered, looking frantically from one face to the other. Why was everyone smiling at him? It was creepy. Even his sister was eyeing him strangely. He was sure that she was laughing inside.

"Maybe I should remain down here then," Fai made to sit down again.

"No!" he cried. His only thought was not to be left alone with a psychotic prince. The normal one was fine. Perhaps the normal one could keep his crazy brother on a leash.

"Hear that?" Yuui grinned at Fai with delight. "Now you've got him interested in a threesome!"

"Stop twisting everything that I say!"

Laughing, Yuui slung an arm around Fai's shoulders. "Don't be bashful Kuro-rin, my brother and I do _everything _together."

"Even that?"

He wanted to kick himself for his outburst. Surprise lapsed into amusement and Yuui laughed even louder and Kurogane wondered if the prince would agree to being used as target practice.

XX

It was already getting cold by the time they trekked up the spiralling staircases, all the way up to the highest peak of the castle, Kurogane grumbling all the way whilst Yuui made his voice echo along the walls.

Clinking bottles knocked against their legs as they dragged up all the alcohol they could carry. Past the burning torches lining the walls, they finally made it to the top, pushing the door open and almost falling into the open air.

A cold breeze bit into them but, as they settled down, the wind grew fainter, hardly shifting their fur-trimmed coats. The sun was sinking, almost out of sight behind the flat line of white snow on the horizon. Its last light cast a golden gauze over everything, bleeding into the snow.

Kurogane sat down. The stone was freezing. He uncorked a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass, muttering, "Damn princes always getting their damn way. Why the damn did they come here, damn it," under his breath.

"Don't worry Kurogane-san, it will be all over soon," Fai patted his back sympathetically, pouring more wine into his cup. "I know, I know," he hushed him whilst Yuui leaned over the battlements, observing the view.

"On the other hand, the flat land would easily reveal someone coming in the distance," he murmured, as if he were picking up in the middle of a conversation with himself.

"Be careful, Yuui," Fai warned, catching his brother before he leaned too far over the edge.

Kurogane coughed and gulped down the rest of his drink. "Hey," he grumbled, "what did you two_ really_ come here for?"

There was a brief pause. Fai and Yuui shared a quick look but the gesture did not go by unnoticed.

"What do you think?" Yuui suddenly broke the silence with a burst of laughter. "Shopping! Sight-seeing! The local taverns!"

Kurogane glared at the prince. Did he think he was an idiot? He turned to Fai.

"What did you come here for?"

"Ahh! Kuro-chan's ignoring me!" Yuui wailed, burying his head in his hands.

"Quit your fake crying!" he barked.

Fai humoured his brother with a comforting pat on the back. "Actually, it was merely one of Yuui's whims. That and we needed a break from our studying to relax. Why else would we come to such a remote part of the country as this?" he explained calmly.

Kurogane gave him a look that said 'I don't believe you' but Fai innocently smiled of his accusations. Scowling, he reluctantly let the question slide and for the rest of the night they devoted themselves to the task of drinking.

"That draw was a lucky coincidence! Prince or not, I'll beat you into the ground next time!"

"The winner should get a prize!" Yuui agreed. "If I win, I will definitely drag you back to the capital. Perhaps make you attend all those social functions that you seem to hate so much. And dance! Do you even know how to dance?"

"I can dance just fine with a sword in my hand," he mumbled.

"I'm sure you would make a wonderful dance partner," Fai said encouragingly.

Kurogane was drinking straight from the bottle now. "Dancing is stupid anyway."

"Kuro-rin just can't dance!"

"I don't like to dance!"

They poured themselves another round of wine. Some distant part of him told Kurogane that he probably should not let the two princes drink too much but he quelled it and took and swig.

"Kurogane-san," Fai suddenly spoke over Yuui's gleeful cry of 'Call him Kuro-puu, Fai!' "My brother will be staying until the whole week is up but unfortunately I have to return to the capital."

"Huh? Fai!" Yuui's eyes widened. He turned to his brother almost anxiously.

Kurogane put his glass down. "Is that so? Any reason why?"

Fai shook his head with a smile aimed at his brother. "I'm worried about our mother, that's all. But there's no reason for both of us to go."

Yuui quickly rose to his feet. "If you really want to return, I'll go with you!" he cried

It was the first time he saw Yuui look so serious. It was the first time he saw him even remotely worried. How stupid. It was not as if they could not live without the other, Kurogane rolled his eyes, though perhaps Yuui would walk off of a cliff without Fai always watching over him. It was a shame that Suwa was compromised entirely of flatland.

"Stay here and enjoy yourself, Yuui! We won't be apart for long," Fai put an arm around his brother's shoulders, drawing him into a reassuring hug. His lips faintly moved by Yuui's ear but Kurogane could not catch his words.

When they parted, Yuui looked dour but reluctantly agreeable. He supposed that a compromise had been reached.

"Great, so you're leaving me with this idiot?"

Fai smiled awkwardly whilst Yuui remained tight-lipped and unnervingly quiet. The rest of the night was passed in silent drinking.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

How long has it been since I've updated. No, this fic isn't dead yet! It's just experiencing growing pains.

* * *

**Chapter five**

XX

Though a mere day had passed since Fai's departure, Kurogane found that Yuui had lost some of his zeal. Though he was unsure just what the two of them had spoken of before Fai had left, he remembered to stay alert for any hint or clue of what the twins could possibly be concocting.

The castle was a lot more peaceful than it had been before and yet Kurogane found something significantly dissatisfying about the surface of peace and calm. It was as if something was hanging above them, a smothering blanket, stifling him, troubling him, and he blamed his sudden restlessness on a certain unwanted guest.

That 'certain unwanted guest' was sitting in the courtyard, amongst the blue flowers and white snow. Wrapped up tightly in his coat, he stared out at the gently falling flakes like some great bird perched in waiting.

Kurogane paused as he caught sight of him. Contemplating whether to interrupt his snow-gazing or not, his conscience got the better of him and he soon found himself trudging through the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he came to stand next to a squatting Yuui.

"I'm enjoying the view," was the unenthusiastic reply.

He sighed. Yuui had been a lot more subdued since his brother had left. He sensed that there was something more to Fai's sudden departure than a spontaneous longing to see his mother again, but he knew that any questions he asked would be artfully dodged.

"You've been 'enjoying the view' for a few hours already. If you want to go, then go. I won't miss you," he grumbled. As annoying as Yuui's exhausting exuberance had been, he found himself even more annoyed when faced with a gloomy prince that did nothing but stare out at the horizon all day.

After a moment of unnatural silence, and a moment for Kurogane to pass up the urge to hit Yuui over the head, he sighed and spoke up again.

"If you're not doing anything then make yourself useful and help me with the fire wood or something," he muttered.

Yuui did not move.

Grumbling about stupid, incompetent princes under his breath, Kurogane shrugged and resigned himself to the pile of firewood awaiting him. It was quite a journey to the nearest forest.

As he made his way to the stables in order to prepare a horse, he heard feet shuffling across the snow. Each step he took was matched with another one. Closer and closer, the shuffling footsteps seemed to hurry to catch up with him until he could feel the presence of another body almost directly behind him.

Kurogane smirked and kept walking, not bothering to look back.

XX

Snow slid off of leafy branches in huge mounds, covering the treetops with white icing. Although they had travelled quite a distance from both the town and the castle, there was no escaping the snow. It was everywhere; an endless white blanket that covered the earth.

It would be getting dark by the time they reached the castle again even with mounts, which made Kurogane seriously reconsider sending some of their servants to do the work.

"Well, we're here already," he muttered to himself. "Hey, idiot prince, you do know how to chop wood, don't you?" he asked as he handed over a hatchet.

"I've seen others do it," Yuui replied, obviously distracted by the tree towering over him.

"Good enough," he grunted, bringing their horses into a wide clearing surrounded by thick pines.

After cutting up the branches of a fallen tree, he gestured to the remaining stumps of once-grand trees that would act as the surface for them to split the rest of the wood into smaller pieces.

"Err…Kuro-chan?" After a moment of silent chopping, Yuui lifted the hatchet, pointing to a piece of half-split wood on the end. "It's stuck."

"Eh?" he looked up at the hopeless mess Yuui had managed to get into. When he could not free the piece of wood with his hands, he began vigorously shaking the hatchet in an attempt to rid it of the wooden block.

"It's – it's coming off!" Yuui grunted with exertion. Grabbing the handle with both hands, he continued to shake the hatchet as fast as he could.

Finally, the block loosened from the blade. As the hatchet was rapidly swung up and down, the half-split wood hurtled across the space of the clearing.

Kurogane yelped and ducked just as the block zoomed over his head, hitting the tree behind him with a loud 'thunk.'

"What the hell are you doing, you crazy prince? Do intend on taking my head?"

Yuui smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Didn't I once say that I might do that?" he replied.

Kurogane sighed, wondering what had ever possessed him to ask for the prince's help. "You need to put more force into the swing. Like this." Standing up again, he lifted the hatchet above his head and swiftly brought it down through the centre of his own piece of wood.

The hatchet sliced through, cleanly cutting the block into two neat halves. Yuui clapped as if he had just witnessed a baffling magical trick.

"It's not_ that_ amazing."

Yuui shook his head, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I've never done this before. All the fires in the palace were conjured by me and Fai. It was an early part of our training. If you like, I could heat the castle up for you as well," he offered.

Kurogane huffed, staring in contempt at the rest of his large pile of wood. "When I was little, I heard all the adults talking about you and your brother," he muttered, lifting the hatchet and began splitting wood again.

Hack.

"The great princes. I suppose everyone must have high hopes for you."

Chop.

"It must be great to live in luxury. Everyday with thousands of servants to do your bidding, you can eat what you want, when you want, go wherever you want, you can say and do whatever you want,"

"You think so?" Yuui murmured distantly. His words were directed at something far away, something just out of reach. Slowly, blue eyes came to rest upon Kurogane's frowning face. He smiled. "It seems to me that you're the one able to say and do whatever you want."

Kurogane blinked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Kuro-chi," Yuui laughed and tried to busy himself with more wood chopping.

"If you want to say something, you should say it," he grumbled. "I hate people who can't be honest."

"Really?" Yuui murmured in a tone that made Kurogane wonder if he was being mocked. "Then you'll probably end up hating me the most."

XX

Freya never bothered counting the days since both Fai and Yuui had left the castle. It was a pointless exercise that benefited nothing and only caused a waste of time. She did not particularly care if they had gone. They always seemed to be off somewhere, doing something together.

When they had been children, they used to always play together.

In the snow, with the red flowers with sharp diamond petals and blue cups bursting through the blanket of white, they used to run around the fountain, trying to catch fish with their bare hands, opening their mouths to receive the falling snow, breathless and red faced, eyes wide, bundled in fur.

They were no longer children though. They were adults, if one would allow them that, and they no longer played together in the snow.

Freya felt Chii suddenly shift next to her. Her sister slid off of the edge of the fountain. The courtyard was empty. Everyone was inside, fretting about their borders, fretting about Suwa. That was where the princes had gone, wasn't it? Was that why they had gone? Because the slightest tip of the scales could end in disaster for that backwater town?

"What's wrong?" she turned to Chii, who was walking towards the east gate. Her words, however, were cut short by the sudden announcement of royalty.

"It's the prince and his company!"

"Open the gates for the prince!"

At the sound of the approaching horses, Freya stood up as well. Taking her sister by the hand, she led her out of the courtyard, out of the castle, to the outside walls where they could see the royal guards coming towards them.

Fai reined his mount as he reached them. "Chii-san! Freya-san! Did you come all of the way out here to meet me?" he grinned at such an unexpected surprise.

She nodded, though her eyes travelled beyond him, searching past his horse for a missing figure.

"Is Yuui not with you?" she asked after a moment.

Fai smiled apologetically. He knew that it was probably the chance to meet Yuui and not himself that had compelled her to come. "Sorry to disappoint you. He will be back soon," his voice softened. "You should call him 'Yuui' to his face more often. He would be delighted."

She did not bother humouring him. "Why are _you_ back so soon? It must be important if it can take you from your brother's side," she asked in a tone that a stranger would have called blunt.

"We're not attached by the hip," Fai laughed, "but yes, I should see Clef-sensei now," he smiled again at her, bowed to Chii, and politely excused himself from their company.

She watched him go only briefly before her attention strayed to the tall walls surrounding the castle. Snow piled up at the foot of the walls as if slowly to seep over the top. The faintest of cracks were outlined in ice, clawing deeply into the stone. She lowered her eyes to the snow at her feet. Everything was so white and blinding. It felt strangely empty; all that endless white.

"Is Freya sad?" Chii placed a small hand on her shoulder.

"No, why would I be sad?" she turned to her sister, confused but slightly apprehensive, as though she sensed what might be coming but did not want to face it. For her sister's sake, she did not want to face it. To admit it would be worse for her.

Chii peered at her closely. "Freya had a funny face."

The air was getting colder. Or perhaps that was because they were at quite a distance from the heated corridors of the castle, away from all the maids and soldiers. The air was always colder when one was alone.

She smiled; a quiet smile that hardly stirred the air. "There is no reason for me to feel sad," she cupped Chii's face, caressing her cheek with a thumb as if she could rub away her sister's confused expression. "No," she whispered, "you are the one who has every right to be miserable."

XX

He was no longer sure how long Yuui had been staying in Suwa. It could not be more than three weeks and yet it felt like an incredibly long time.

Though he felt it was his duty to be every bit as reluctant as he had been the day the princes had first arrived, as Yuui's liveliness returned he found himself more often than not bundled in his company.

Days were spent sparring and touring the town, or otherwise in a mad attempt to keep the prince from performing a risky piece of magic within the castle's walls, and nights were passed drinking under the moon, somewhere high where Yuui could enjoy the view.

So, as their routine dictated, that night they trudged up once more to the highest peak of the castle with bottle of alcohol in tow and thick capes wrapped around their shoulders.

Wine was especially good after a long day of physical exertion, though Kurogane was not exactly pleased that their last duel had ended in yet another draw.

"Sing with me, Kuro-pin!" Yuui cried as he bellowed an old Valerian song off-key.

Kurogane frowned at the obnoxious shortening of his name but he was too tired to bother shouting at him for it. He had long since gotten used to the fact that, no matter how many death threats he threw at him, the prince was never going to tire of twisting his name about. Besides, he was not sure how wise it was to spout death threats at royalty.

"Will you shut up?" he growled, hurling an empty bottle of wine in his direction.

Yuui ducked just in time for the bottle to go soaring over his head and collide into the nearest wall in a shower of fragmented shards. "Y'know, Kuro-rin, apart from family, I've never met someone who was able to tell the difference between myself and my brother so quickly," he said, undisturbed by the broken bottle lying just a foot away.

"Please, the difference is obvious," he snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh?" Yuui regarded him with amusement. "You know, we used to go around pretending to be each other just to confuse people. If we really tried, even the great High wizard, Clef-sensei, could not tell sometimes," he said proudly. "So tell me, Kuro-pin, what's the difference between me and my brother?"

"You're the bigger idiot."

"Seriously!"

Although he was tempted to throw in another snide remark, Kurogane felt the weight of Yuui's challenging tone, and when he always made sure never to back down from a challenge.

Conceding, Kurogane frowned as he thought. "Your brother…" he began slowly, as though trying to get the right perspective on a puzzle, "his…presence feels different. It's like water. It's calmer but also colder. He must have a devious side to him though."

"And me?" Yuui pointed at himself, but he neither confirmed nor disconfirmed Kurogane's assumptions.

"You're just plain crazy!" he snapped, shaking off such serious thoughts.

"Don't be mean, Kuro-tan! Tell me!" Yuui cried, throwing himself at him with a melodramatic flail of his arms.

"If you get off of me, I will!" he shoved him off with the urgency of one being hugged by an infectious disease.

Sobering, that thoughtful expression washed over him once more. There was a pause, then; "I suppose that you feel more like the wind. It's breezy one minute and a hurricane the next. In other words…you're the most hormonal, whimsical, and crazy, over-the-top person I have ever met!"

Yuui shrugged. "That just means I'm fun then," he replied blithely.

Running a hand through his hair, Kurogane sighed with exhaustion. "You're fun when you're out of ear-shot and out of sight!"

Yuui, for some reason, found this extremely amusing and burst out into laughter, but Kurogane was hardly paying him any attention, he was too busy thinking about what he had said.

One day, he was sure the wind would disappear when he was not looking._

* * *

_

As you've noticed, I changed Yuuy to Yuui. I keep wondering why my chapters always end up so long. Well, long chapters can be nice too, right? Anyway, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the long wait, everyone! I finally stopped procrastinating and started writing. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter six**

XX

"Clef-sensei!" Fai marched into the council chamber, interrupting the members of the council, mostly old men in musty robes of purple and dark blue, already gathered there. They looked around, surprise evident on their faces.

"P - Prince, when did you get back?" one of the men hurried over to him as he strode into the chamber, footsteps echoing against marble.

Bookcases, the home to hundreds of thick, leather-bound tomes, ran across both length of the walls, reached the peaked ceiling. A chandelier hung from above, the blue crystals glowing faintly, contributing to the dim glow of candlelight lining the long rectangular oak table, throwing shadows over the lacquered walls.

"Fai, we're in the middle of a meeting," his mother sat at the head of the table, long golden hair spilling down her gossamer dress and onto her lap.

Fai stepped forward. He did not wish to anger his mother but the scroll that Syaoran had managed to retrieve burnt into his palm. "Mother, please, are we going to war?"

"Oh, what an intelligent prince we have here," Yuuto sat at the far end, smiling condescendingly.

Clef looked at both of them sharply. "Prince Fai, where did you hear that?"

Fai faltered slightly. Yuui would not have hesitated. Yuui would have come bursting through the doors and demand the council to pay attention to him. He wished that his brother was here with him to give him confidence too.

"My brother…thought something was amiss so he sent Syaoran-kun across our borders into Efferia," he replied reluctantly. He knew that it was risky but he did not want anyone to get in trouble.

"Efferia?" Clef started with shock. "Do you know how dangerous that was? If he were to have been caught it could have sparked a war! Our relations with Efferia are already unstable," he said but his reprimand was lightly countered by the sound of Yuuto's soft laughter.

"What does it matter?" he smiled, comfortably reclining against the large velvet chairs. "Efferia is home to nothing but a pack of warmongers. They're already at war with Terra, they might want to add Valeria to their list."

"Yuuto-san!" the members of the council scolded him for his blasé attitude. Clef, however, ignored them all and directed all his attention towards the prince. "You know why we are in this situation, don't you?" he asked gravely.

Fai nodded and strode up to the council table, to where a large map was spread across its length. "Efferia is here," he tapped the light green shaded area to the south-east of the country marked Valeria. His finger moved upwards to a large, mountainous region marked off from Valeria with a large red line. "Terra is here," he traced his finger along the red borderline. "Efferia is losing because the mountainous terrain around Terra serves as a natural line of defence. They find it hard to move through the mountains and their supply lines are often cut-off."

"There is a way into Terra that would allow them to avoid the mountains," Clef nodded sombrely, "but to do so they must pass through Valeria, more precisely through Suwa. If we let them bring an army through our borders, Terra will most likely see this as an act of war against them and we'll end up involved in this ridiculous war."

"We'll end up fighting anyway so why not pick a side and go with it? I'm sure whichever country we side with will let us pillage the other to our heart's content," Yuuto shrugged, nonchalant.

Clef looked at him disapprovingly at him, looking harsher than he had all throughout the meeting. "We're not barbarians, Yuuto-san," he replied sternly.

"Look at this," Fai held up the Syaoran's scroll for all of the members to see. He unrolled it on the table over the map of the continent. "I'm sorry for intruding upon your council but you will definitely find this important. See? This is an inventory of the weapons in Edel, Efferia's nearest castle to our borders, they've been slowly building up their arsenal."

A murmur ran through the council chamber. Their whispers made him feel even more worried. They had certainly increased their arsenal but it was not until he were here, with all the worried old men that he began to feel the true nature of the situation.

Breaking him from his dire thoughts, Yuuto slung an arm around his shoulders. "Is something wrong, _Fai-kun_?"

He ignored Yuuto's insincere politeness and endured the arm weighing against his shoulders. It was different from Yuui. When he was this close to his brother, he was safe. With Yuuto their close proximity only made him apprehensive. He hoped that his brother was well.

"Yuui," he said, remembering the urgency of the situation. He was having a bad premonition and it worried him. He began to wish that he had let Syaoran deliver the report after all. "Yuui is still in Suwa. What if Efferia gets impatient and decides to force an army through our land?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine," Yuuto said confidently. "It's not like they're in a rush to make us their enemy."

"Even so, just being here makes me realise that the situation is much more urgent than I thought," Fai replied as he hastily left. He did not have time to bother with being polite. "I'm going back to Suwa."

XX

She was making a crown of flowers; a product of her boredom. Yuui had gone and her sister was at home therefore she had absolutely nothing to do. Nobles had more time on their hands than they seemed to know what to do with it. Maybe that was why they wasted their time on parties and balls.

Freya looped a green stalk around the base of a blue flower.

Yuui was gone, though what did that matter to her? He was always pretending to be cheerful and trying to find the fun in everything. He always said things he did not mean and meant things that he would not say. What did he matter? Her sister's happiness was her only concern, it was the only thing she bothered with. Yuui, on the other hand, was always doing things that seemed to hold no meaning, always pushing himself to smile, always infuriatingly hard to read.

Her chain of flowers broke.

She stared at the broken stalks and the blue petals lying scattered on the silver snow when a shadow encompassed them. Her attention moved towards the owner of the shadow.

A young man smiled warmly at her, though he appeared to be slightly nervous. He tipped his cotton hat in greeting, a large bag made from tanned hide slung over a shoulder. His hair was short and his frame stocky yet well-built, his expression was good-natured but humble, hardly the sort of person one would mistake for nobility. He was quite obviously a commoner.

"Hi…err, oh, a message for you, Lady Freya," he handed her a thick letter, sealed with dark blue wax.

"Thank you," she accepted it gracefully, working her fingers under the parchment to break the wax seal. She paused midway and looked up again at the messenger who still stood before her as if he were waiting to give her another letter. "Yes?" she asked curtly, eyeing him with a mixture of discomfort and disapproval.

The young man was startled from his stupor. He blinked a few times and looked around bewildered. "Huh? I – I was just thinking how alike you and your sister look," he finished lamely.

It occurred to her that they had somehow attracted the attention of the nearby ladies. The other nobles were whispering something amongst themselves behind their hands and feathered fans. Their heads snapped in the opposite direction when they caught her looking at them.

"Tough atmosphere," he muttered, slightly sweating despite the cold.

"It's because of my sister," she replied laconically.

"Huh? Did I say something out loud?" he turned back to her. He did not seem to be the sharpest person around. Though his absent-minded air somewhat annoyed her, he concern as he asked, "Is something the matter with Lady Chii?" managed to appease her enough to make her forget her initial impression.

"Perhaps you should see her for yourself," she handed him a similar letter. "Give this to her. That should be a good enough excuse."

"Oh. Thank you very much!" he accepted the unsealed letter with the utmost care, tucking it safely under his jerkin.

As he left, the castle door also opened. Freya glanced up in time to catch sight of Fai hurrying through the courtyard, dragging on a cloak and calling for a horse to be prepared as he took one, long, hurried step after the other.

She was about to rise and inquire about this when Fai was shortly followed by another figure. Yuuto dogged the prince's steps, talking rapidly with words that Freya could not quite hear. Fai, however, waved him away with the kind of curt impatience she had rarely seen the normally polite prince display. It had to be something urgent then.

Giving up on the prince, Yuuto sighed and remained standing as Fai hurried towards the gates of the courtyard. His boredom at losing Fai was short-lived. He soon he found her to be a more interesting distraction and diverted his attention towards her accordingly.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or were you talking to that messenger boy just now?" he said, a languid smile teasing his lips as he approached. "Hmm, Hideki-kun, wasn't it? He seems like a decent man. I am a little worried though, about you, Freya-chan. Will you be alright?"

She gave him a blank look, though perhaps it was a little stern.

"Well, I suppose that if you don't mind sacrificing your own happiness for Chii-chan's sake then I have no right to worry either."

"Fai-sama was in a hurry," she said, swiftly changing the course of the conversation.

Yuuto too no interest in that topic, he only shrugged dismissively. At least, he _appeared _to take no interest. Perhaps she simply disapproved of Yuuto no matter what he did or tried to do, but there was something in his manner, maybe in the secret of his smile that gave her the impression that he was planning on using the situation, whatever the current situation was, to his advantage.

"Are you planning something, Yuuto-san?"

He heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Why do you always suspect me?" he regarded her with a look of bemusement, as though he had been unjustly accused and could not understand why. "I'm planning for the happiness of you, my dear cousin," he assured her and smiled as bleakly as the morning snow.

XXX

Their weapons clashed in a shower of sparks. The top of the tower was already steaming with grey smoke and the parts of the battlements were frozen over with solid ice. The sound of ringing steel could be heard from the ground below. Another loud clang, another burst of smoke and the two men parted, breathing heavily as they lowered their weapons.

"You suck," Kurogane muttered, although he too was doubled over and panting.

"Thank you for that stunning compliment, Kuro-tan," Yuui grinned as he gathered his breath.

Kurogane grunted wordlessly, it was one of both acknowledgment and disapproval. Acknowledgement of his 'compliment' and disapproval of his shortened name.

Their sparring session had become a daily ritual since Yuui's brother had left them to each other's care since that seemed to be the best and only way that either of them could spend much time together without one becoming extremely annoying and the other being tempted to commit treason against the crown by killing the heir to the throne. It was practical and, Kurogane had to admit, rather enjoyable.

So far, there had been no winner but he was sure that he would get that smart-mouthed prince sooner or later.

Stretching out his tired muscles, Yuui dropped to the floor. "How about a few drinks to relax?" he suggested hopefully.

"No way am I letting you drink!" Kurogane snapped, remembering the last time they had had alcohol.

"Not even a going-away drink?" Yuui pressed him.

Kurogane turned, confused. "Are you going somewhere?" Though one would have only called it a brief stay, it felt as though the prince had been living in Suwa for months. He did not know why his constant presence, his persistent conversations, had become so normal it was customary. For a moment, he had forgotten that Yuui had lived anywhere else.

That was ridiculous! He reprimanded himself for it as Yuui smiled and shrugged. "I was planning on heading back to the capital," the beginnings of laughter danced in his eyes, "or do you want me to stay here forever?" he teased.

There was a dry pause. "I'll go get your horse," he replied brusquely.

"Don't be bashful, Kuro-rin, you can say what you like!" Yuui latched on to his arm.

Kurogane shook him off as a matter of habit. He eyed him gravely, red meeting blue without backing down or looking away. "Then…tell me why you really came here," he demanded.

"I wanted to see you again." An automatic response.

"Liar." That too was automatic.

"You're so mean, Kuro-pi!" Yuui reeled back with an exclamation of mock hurt. "I'm not lying!"

"You're not telling the truth either," he muttered, unamused.

Yuui shook his head. The movement was slightly sombre. The air shifted, as high as they were, the wind was colder than usual, small gusts playing with his hair. A smile, curved upon a bittersweet thought, lit up his face. Yuui pushed the hair out of his face, still smiling serenely. "I was quite glad to see you again," he said. The wind suddenly picked up, becoming stronger and harsher. "You're not like the other nobles."

There was a long pause between their responses. For a moment, Kurogane forgot that it was his cue to make some sort of dry quip.

"I can't say that the feeling is mutual."

Yuui laughed lightly, though the sound was partly drowned out by the growing wind. "I thought that you would say something like that."

Unable to think of something to counter him with, Kurogane just shrugged and made some soft of noncommittal grunt in his throat. The wind was bothering him now, wailing through the battlements like some mourning ghost.

Clearing his throat he made some remark about going back down. It was too damn cold and too damn noisy up here. He did not want to admit that the wind was unsettling. It made him feeling strangely apprehensive and, when Yuui followed behind him, laughing and fighting against the wind that battered his hair into his face, he felt unreasonably compelled into insisting that Yuui go down first, claming that he did not trust having his back turned to the prince.

Just in case he disappeared.

XX

Though the sun was setting and the temperature was rapidly dropping, Fai urged his mount to continue across the empty land of snow until the last of the light had truly disappeared. He had already travelled so far over a short few days, soon he would be rewarded with the sight of Suwa castle and the quiet, quaint little town close to it.

Thinking about that peaceful little settlement, his initial fear seemed quite ridiculous now. He had left in such a state, surely Yuui would laugh at him when he arrived.

Well, he consoled himself, he would sooner worry for no reason than have a reason to worry.

"Almost there," he patted the side of his mount encouragingly. "Another day or two of straight riding and we should arrive at Suwa castle."

His horse blew air through its nostrils, wisps of white vapour curled towards the sky. Perhaps it was time to stop. He was getting tired and certainly did not want to wake up with his face flat in the snow.

He was about to dismount when he thought he heard the wind pick up. Before he knew what was happening, his mount suddenly reared onto its hind legs, forcing him to hold on for dear life. In the confusion, something strong and hard collided into him, knocking him clean off of his horse.

Scrambling to his feet, he saw what an arrow buried near the foot of his mount. In the next moment, hooded figures stepped out of the thin air, seemingly materialising in front of him through the snow.

"Illusionary magic?" he cursed his carelessness. How could he have thought that he would be safe just because his was in Valeria? He had left so quickly that he had not even brought any guards with him.

The figures stepped forward slowly. He counted a dozen or so, all with weapons raised and pointed directly at him. One of the cloaked figure stepped forward, bow raised and poised to shoot.

"W - who are you?" he asked, reprimanding himself for the faint tremble in his voice.

The cloaked figures remained silent.

"Are you from Efferia? No," Fai shook his head. Something was not right. Though Yuuto had been wrong to call them warmongers, the people of Efferia were typically more aggressive in their style than this ambush.

The first figure lifted an arm, a signal to the other archers.

Fai's eye's widened.

"Don't tell me, you're - "

In a single motion, a dozen arrow were loosened, flying straight for his heart.

XX

And so things are finally rolling. Haha, I feel like I've already said that before.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! I know it's been a long time. I haven't given up on this though. In fact, I just spent a long time planning it out. Since this is going to be an epic, I had a lot of things to work out. Expect many, many crossover characters appearing here and there but, of course, the focus is still on Kurogane and the twins.

* * *

**Chapter seven**

XX

Though his stay at Suwa had been enjoyable, part of him was glad to finally arrive home to that large, lavish palace in Valeria's capital where his mother and brother were waiting.

Someone announced his arrival. Bells rang as the iron wrought gates were opened before him. Tapping his mount, he and the small army his mother had insisted he bring slowly entered the palace at a steady trot.

The escort dismounted once they reached the gatehouse. Their job done, they gave their horses to the attendants and dispersed to their quarters. Yuui, however, dismounted and led his mount by the reins into the courtyard where the fountain had frozen over and buds of blue mist were in full bloom.

He wondered where everyone was, he had been sure that, upon being announced, Fai and his mother would surely have been waiting to greet him. He smiled a little ruefully as he reminded himself of the tension no doubt infecting the castle by now. Of course, they must both be extremely busy.

Yet he found that his arrival had not been entirely ignored. Among the marble columns of twisted wisteria, the High wizard waited for him, a polite smile lighting his face as he caught sight of him.

"Clef-sensei!" Yuui smiled, slowly approaching.

"Prince Yuui? How was your trip?" he bowed repectfully.

"It was a lot of fun! I wouldn't mind going back there when things settle down," he grinned and bid him rise.

"So you've heard about our situation," Clef sighed then, glancing around him, asked; "Where's your brother?"

Yuui stared incredulously. "Isn't he here?" Panic briefly fluttered in his chest but he pushed the feeling down in vain hope that he had misheard the High wizard. Fai was not back? That was preposterous of course. Fai had left a whole week earlier than he! He had to back.

Clef seemed just as startled to hear that Fai was not with him either. His expression turned sombre and grim as he sadly shook his head. "No, he…"

Yuui did not give him time to finish his sentence. "Fai isn't back? What happened to him?" he asked yet did wait to hear Clef answer first before he swiftly turned, grabbing the reins of his mount, planning to ride straight back the way he came.

Clef started, grabbing him before he could remount. "Please calm down! I'm sure you just missed each other. As soon as he finds out that you have left Suwa, he should head back. You'll see him in a week or so, I'm sure," he placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him.

"But what if - "

"If you charge out now, you might miss him again," he reasoned.

Yuui paused, then sighed. "You're right," he conceded, hoping his own words would prove prophetic. It would be pointless and reckless to go charging out again, especially without a guard. He hoped that Fai had at least remembered to bring a guard with him as their mother always adamantly insisted.

"I will send an escort. They will bring the prince back," Clef assured him as they were joined by Freya and Chii, dressed as always in long dresses of corresponding colours. He was surprised that they had not returned to their home in the north yet. Chii welcomed him warmly, smiling despite the heavy atmosphere that had settled over the entire castle.

"Yuui-sama, welcome back," Freya curtsied in a manner that, to any stranger, would have been considered cold.

Yuui smiled knowingly and reached out to pat her head, yet before his fingertips could reach a single strand, someone pulled him back. Surprised he stumbled and fell back.

"Yuui-kun," Yuuto caught him, attaching himself around his shoulders. "Ah, where have you been? A lot has happened in your absence."

"I know. That's why I came back," he laughed and tried to shrug his cousin off but Yuuto kept an arm firmly slung across his chest.

"Could you talk to that stubborn mother of yours?" he asked with a sigh of mock exhaustion, "We've had emissaries from both Efferia and Terra here, but she won't relinquish her neutrality. Though she does says that the moment one of the armies invades their land, we will take it as an act of war."

Clef frowned at Yuuto's manner. What he disapproved of more; Yuuto's manhandling of the crown prince or his gung-ho attitude, it was hard to tell. "I think her position is most sensible!" he replied curtly.

Yuui felt Yuuto's arm tighten around him at Clef's comment.

"I'll think about it, Yuuto-san," he forced a laugh, freeing himself from his captor's arms.

As though he had caught that brief flicker of dislike passing over Yuuto's face, Clef sighed and pressed two fingers to his forehead with an expression of weariness. "I'm sure Prince Yuui is tired right now, please let him rest."

"Yes, I think I need to sleep a bit right now," he smiled and politely excused himself.

Retiring to his bedchamber, Yuui realised just how unnecessarily large and empty it was. His temporary room in Suwa, though by no means small, seemed like a broom closet in comparison.

Candles had already been lit as if they had been expecting him. They shed a dim golden light over the dark blue carpet, throwing shadows onto the wall outside the little island of light that they created.

He carefully drew the doubled doors shut and made his way to a glass cabinet standing in a corner. A gigantic bed - though it had never seemed so large when he shared with Fai - chairs and a table, a desk, a wardrobe, a drinks cabinet, and a lot of floor. It was a terrible waste of space.

Pouring himself a glass of wine, his eyes swept over the decorative swords hanging on the walls, resting idly on the marble walls. The edge of the glass touched his lips, hard and startlingly cold, but his eyes found the crest of arms above the bed and he lowered the glass with a sigh.

"Syaoran-kun," he whispered.

What had appeared to have been a bundle of shadows stood up, gaining the form and figure of a young man wrapped in a shroud of black. A short sword strapped by a sash around his waist glinted in the dim light as he obediently bowed.

"Yes, Prince Yuui?" he awaited his orders, a thick hood pulled over his head that hid the neutral expression on his face.

Yuui's hand tightened around the wine glass, tight enough to almost shatter it. "You travel much faster than any escort. Head back to Suwa and find Fai," he ordered.

"Of course," Syaoran made no other comment. He stepped back, seemed to sink into the shadows, and was gone. Yuui felt his presence, usually always hovering somewhere around him, vanish into thin air.

Without taking a sip, he quickly set down the glass in case he really did shatter it with the pressure of his anxiety. Though he was quite alone, Yuui drew a deep breath and struggled to put on a serene expression.

The large and lavish bed chamber seemed to echo with his steps. A mockingly empty cage. He sighed and threw himself into bed, almost smothered by thick blankets and pillows that were large enough for someone ten times his size.

Running a hand through his hair, he wondered if he really would be able to sleep.

XX

It appeared as though his weariness had eventually gotten the better of him. As Yuui's eyes hesitantly fluttered opened, he found himself on the edge of his bed, wrapped in thick fur blankets to keep out the freezing chill of Valeria's nights. Strange, he did not remember doing such a thing.

Shrugging off both the blankets and his curiosity, the sound of hurried footsteps and hushed voices filtered through the oak doors. He quickly registered strings of anxiety in those voice and, his curiosity piqued once more, he smoothed down his rumpled clothes and flung open one of the double doors.

"What's going on?" he poked his head outside where the servants were hurrying about the corridors in a fluster.

At the sudden question, one of the maids jumped, though thankfully suppressed her scream. "Oh, Prince Yuui, I didn't mean to wake you!" she cried, terrified.

"What's happening?" he asked.

The poor maid, who looked as though she would be beheaded for even speaking to him, gulped and managed to squeak; "We're at war, your highness!"

XX

His footsteps echoed loudly across the marble floor. He did not care if any of the servants saw him almost running towards the crystal doors of the throne room, his hand tracing over the blue lacquered tendrils against the white walls, he did not stop until he pushed open the translucent doors leading to his mother.

"You already stated that any attack would be seen as an act of war upon us! To go back now would make the nobles lose faith in you," he could hear Yuuto speaking loudly.

Clef frowned at Yuuto but conceded. "As much as I dislike it, I must agree. We cannot have people saying that you are a weak queen."

"What's going on?" Yuui strode in. An unnecessary question. He already knew what was going on.

His mother sat upon a throne of crystal, face flushed, yet eyes set gravely on the men below her, her jaw firmly clenched. Her golden hair, a little frayed, spilled onto her lap, partly covering her eyes as though she wished to be elsewhere.

As Yuui entered, she rose to her feet, hitching up the many skirts as she stepped down to meet him.

"Yuui, there you are!" she pulled him into her arms, her long hair tumbling across and tickling his face. "Don't worry about your brother, I'm sure he is fine!" she assureed him for her own assurance as much as his.

"What's happening?" he gently pulled out of her arms. "They say we're at war."

"We are," Clef confirmed the dreaded rumour. "Efferia just launched an attack on Suwa."

XX

Kurogane sat outside, a long black cloak draped around his arms and over his shoulders to keep out the cold. He was not looking at anything particular. There was nothing to look at except snow and stone. Blue and red flowers whose names he had never bothered learning poked here and there through the snow in sporadic clumps, but he had never been interested in flowers.

Even in the midst of his musing, his sharp senses picked up the sound of shuffling behind him. He sighed and stretched himself out against the snow as Tomoyo bent over him, blocking out the light from the weak sun.

"You've been awfully quiet for some time," she was grinning.

"I was thinking," he stated, "about how I can get rid of the other unwanted guests we have here."

Tomoyo straightened, gathering her long hair out of her face. She glanced at the firmly shut gates then fell in the snow besides him. "You mean the mages that Prince Yuui said he would leave with us? I think they'll be most helpful," she said. "Father will be returning soon. It's unusual for him to be gone so long."

Kurogane grunted his agreement. Though their father often went out to make sure that their borders were secure and to deal with bandits and the like, in such times of peace he never was away for such an extended period.

"I'm glad they left before he could come back," he muttered to himself. Fai had left first and then Yuui a week after. The castle had been quiet silent since then. So silent, the servants crept around, afraid of making the slightest sound lest it ring throughout the entire castle.

"Were you afraid that father would embarrass you in front of the princes?" Tomoyo giggled.

Kurogane bolted upright. "No!" he scowled, though clinging to his hair and shoulders detracted from his seriousness.

Tomoyo merely laughed a little harder, causing Kurogane's frown to deepen.

"The dragon banner! The Lord of Suwa is approaching!" someone above them announced.

They glanced at each other in disbelief. Gathering themselves to their feet, both hurried inside, climbing the first tower which led to the outer walls in order to get the first glimpse of their returning father.

At the highest peak of the castle - the place where, Kurogane remembered somewhat dryly, the twin princes had dragged him up almost every night to drink - they could see the entire land for miles, spread out like a single sheet of white paper. Amongst the flat snow it was easy to spot the troop of over a thousand men returning to the castle.

"Well, speak of the devil. It's definitely father's dragon banner," Tomoyo leaned over the wall for a better view. "Look, Kurogane!" she laughed, nudging him with her elbow.

She nodded towards the ground close to the castle. Curiously, he followed her line of sight only to discover that the gates had been opened and their mother was riding out to meet them.

"Can't she wait for _him_ to come to us?" he groaned, shaking his head with a sigh. It was so embarrassing. How long had his parents been married? Surely more than twenty years and yet they still acted like a bunch of newlyweds. They honestly had no consideration for the fragile minds of their children!

They watched their mother's white horse run to meet the men, almost invisible against all the snow. Kurogane's eyes narrowed as he watched. For some reason, his heart was pounding. At length, he felt Tomoyo's hand tug against his sleeve. It seemed he was not the only one feeling apprehensive.

"Kurogane…" she whispered.

Something was wrong.

Their mother had stopped several yards before meeting the men. Stopped and turned around, riding back at a desperate pace.

Something was wrong.

He heard a cry go up and saw a dozen archers notch their bows and lift them to the sky. The air shrieked a moment with the sound of flying arrows, raising towards the clouds, arching for a moment before falling back like rain into the snowy earth.

A whiny from their mother's horse echoed after the sound of screaming arrows had died. It flailed and fell, bringing its rider with it. It's hooves kicked at the sky, struggled, consented, and was dead, crushing its arrow-riddled owner beneath it.

That was a joke.

It was all a joke, right?

Any minute now the horse would disappear - just an illusion created by magic - their mother would stand and bow. Father would meet her half way and kiss her hair like he always did when arriving and leaving.

It was a joke.

No, maybe it was a dream.

Yet the advancing men approached, passed her, and still nothing happened.

No, that was not quite correct. Something did happen. Something snapped.

With a yell of anger equal to the shriek of pain his mother's mount had cried before dying, Kurogane drew his sword, making a break for the stairs.

"Kurogane!" Tomoyo grabbed him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "Kurogane, stop! You'll be killed!" she cried. "Stop! Stop it! Stop it!"

Kurogane struggled against her arms, thrashed and tried to throw her off. Seething, all he could see were warped images of his surroundings, blurred as though the colour had run out of everything and fused together into some sort of distorted painting. All that was clear to him was the sight of this false army that had advanced on them and was advancing still.

"They!" he shouted. "They shot down our mother! I'll - "

"Kurogane! Be calm!" she cried.

"How do you expect me to be calm!?"

"Kurogane!"

He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood. The sword in his hand trembled with anger, though he wished he could steady it. He could not kill anyone with a shaky sword arm. Nails biting into flesh, he drew a long, shuddering breath and yielded to reason.

"Th - That's not father!" he snarled. Below, the men that had remained when their father had left were running around in panic. The gate was already closing and even the stable boys were arming themselves with pitchforks and scythes. "We're under attack! Lower the gates! Bring the mages to the battlements! I want archers there too!" he screamed at the running mass below.

"Kurogane," Tomoyo, deeming it safe, slowly relinquished her grip around his waist. "If the enemy has our father's dragon banner then - "

"Can you raise a barrier?" he asked curtly.

That horrid piece of knowledge went unsaid between them. Though unspoken, they both knew. They both knew very well what this attack meant. Their father had fallen.

Tomoyo was silent for a moment, gathering her determination about her, she nodded calmly. "…Yes."

Arrows turned the sky black. Their attackers had reached the foot of the castle and raised ladders to scale the walls whilst another party assaulted the main gate. Even as they were picked off by archers, thrown from the walls or scalded with boiling oil prepared from the kitchens, they continued to storm on.

Swearing under his breath, Kurogane raised his sword as their attackers gained the outer walls. He stormed forward, his sword arching in the air to meet another, ringing and parting, steel clashing against steel until he managed to push one of the men back to strike his stomach. The blood that flew out stained his cloak his blood but that was the least of his worries. With morbid satisfaction, he quickly disposed of two armed men who had landed on the battlements and kicked the ladder back down, sending those still scaling crashing back down.

Tomoyo gritted her teeth and strengthened the barrier, but with the combined force of the enemy mages, even she had difficulty maintaining it against the barrages of ice and fire. "It won't hold!" she warned as the air exploded around them, becoming thick with smoke.

"Magic?" he cursed. Damn it. Damn that insane prince and his stupid laugh! For all his idiocy, he had been right; Suwa's defences were indeed weak against magic.

A man in a guard's gear grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around. "My Lord, we cannot hold them back! They've almost taken the keep! There are too many and our defences against magic are poor even with the few mages here!"

"I know, I'll take a group of men and ride out to fight them," he grunted, at present a little busy trying to keep the attackers from advancing any further.

The man looked absolutely horrified at the thought. "My Lord, that would be suicide!" he cried.

"Then what do you suggest?" he snapped.

"You must flee!"

"And let them take Suwa?" he yelled incredulously. An arrow flew for his heart. He swung his sword and sliced it in two. That method may have ended his mother's life but it would not end his.

"Please, my Lord!"

"You saw what they did! Those bastards! My mother!" He would kill them. He would kill ever last one of them, capture their leader, find out what they had exactly done to his father and then kill that person too. Slowly. Painfully.

"My Lord, if you die here nothing will be accomplished! You must flee for now and live on to take back the castle!" he cried imploringly. "We will stall them whilst you make your escape. Quickly! Use the underground passages, I doubt that they know of them."

"Let Tomoyo escape, I'm staying here!"

Tomoyo strode forward, grabbing his sword hand with both of hers. "What are you saying?" she cried, eyes widening.

"Exactly what I mean, I won't let them have the castle!" he growled, shaking her off with more force than he had intended.

She stumbled back, took a moment to recollect herself, then stepped sharply forward. Her hand raised, she slapped him with all the force she could muster.

It was enough to make everyone around his pause for a moment in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," she stepped back, her expression grim, "but get a hold of yourself! Mother and father would never have wanted you to throw your life away this stupidly! Let's evacuate for now. We'll take as many people as possible."

Her eyes shone with determination, or perhaps they were the ghost of tears that she refused to let fall. Such an expression he had only seen a few times before, but he already knew from experience that there was no way he could possibly defy her when she looked as she did.

"Fine."

Her expression lightened somewhat, though it was still heavily pressed with the shadow of solemnity.

One of the guards ushered them into the castle. In the wide stone kitchens, now bereft of all life, he hitched up a panel underneath the unlit stove and urged them in.

Tomoyo crept in first, Kurogane following after. A few guards accompanied them into the dark stone passages running underneath the castle. He wanted to go back but Tomoyo grabbed his hand pulling him further into the tunnels and farther from the place he was supposed to be.

Neither of them spoke as they hurried - at a crouch as the ceiling was so low - through the dark. Too shaken to speak, or perhaps too angry, after what seemed like an eternity one of the guards stopped them and kicked at a section of the tunnel. It fell out with a thud into the snow.

"Quickly now!" the guards pushed them out.

The cold air stung their faces; punishment for abandoning their home. The light, though weak, scornfully burnt their eyes. Gathering their bearings, they found themselves far from the castle and town. What had been their home was now no more than a lump of grey sitting on the far horizon; a wounded, pitiful creature jutting out of the flat white snow.

Without a word they began to troop away from the castle, heading in the vague direction of the capital. Only Kurogane remained silently staring into the distance. He hardly blinked as he gazed at the broken figure of their castle, imprinting, committing, carving the sight into his memory like a scar.

The sight of Suwa burning.

* * *

So we still don't know what happened to Fai. Well, you'll find out in the next chapter. Also, as a sort of guide for myself, I also made a family tree of the immediate royal family of Valeria. It was really helpful when I was making notes. Yuui and Fai have some awesome cousins. Not everyone there will appear but if anyone's interested it can be found below(change the things in brackets) or, better yet, in my profile

http(colon forward slash)/i28(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/c240/Mizu(underscore)Tensh(underscore)i/gamethrones.(dot)jpg


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, how many years has it been since I updated? Probably everyone's left this by now but to anyone still waiting for an update here it is and I'm sorry.

* * *

**Game of Thrones **

**Chapter Eight**

XX

Fai clutched his bleeding arm, panting heavily as he stumbled into town. He had managed to repel most of the attacks the ambushers had assaulted him with but even so there has been too many to fight against.

He felt as if every pore was bleeding. Fatigue bred in his limbs, infused to his very bones it seemed.

He cursed the bodies he left bleeding in the snow. Damn Terra! How could they send assassins across the border without anyone noticing? He had to return to the capital quickly, to inform the others of Terra's actions. He had to return to his mother…to Yuui…

Yet when he returned to Suwa for assistance he found the castle had fallen. He had heard that troops were being deployed in the town to squash thoughts of rebellion among the peasantry but so far all he had encountered were deserted streets.

"This is just my luck," he sighed, leaning against the side of an old fabric shop. "This would be much easier if Yuui was here."

Fai prayed fervently for the safety of his brother and the family of Suwa, never daring to think what may have become of them. Of course they were alive. How could he entertain any thoughts otherwise?

He winced as he tried to move from the wall but it was no good. He could not heal his own wounds and loss of blood made his mind too dazed to concentrate.

It was too much. He had used all his energy just dragging himself this far through the snow.

Before blacking out, he wondered if Yuui would ever find out what had happened to him.

XX

"They're letting us live for now but who knows what they will do tomorrow!"

"They slaughtered everyone in the castle, didn't they?"

"That's what I heard?"

"W - what?"

"They must surely have hostages!"

Voices swam above his head as Fai blearily opened his eyes. He had only caught the last few sentences and any worry he could feel was oddly suppressed by a lingering sense of fatigue yet he managed to straighten into a sitting position, groaning; "Is that true?"

The men around him turned to stare at him with wary eyes. Fai found himself in what appeared to be an old, damp cellar. It had the slight smell of alcohol and something else he could not quite place at the moment.

He groaned and tried to recover his usual charisma, though from the rough looks of the men - peasant workers judging from their clothes - he was still something to be treated cautiously. They glanced at his bloody but fine garments and knew that he was someone important. Important people never were to be trusted.

"Tell me, is that true? Is everyone in the castle dead?" Fai demanded, feeling some strength come back to him. He had no idea how long he had been asleep but he feared that it might already be too late. No, surely everyone in the castle was fine. Surely they had merely been taken hostage.

"Hold it, young man," a large, burly man who appeared to be the leader stopped him from getting to his feet. "Where do you think you're going? If it's to the castle then you're suicidal. Anyway, don't worry. Though many of the soldiers will end up dead, Efferia will be bound to take hostages just in case,"

"Efferia?" Fai looked stunned. "They're the ones that attacked?"

But it was not Efferia that had attacked him. He had a good idea who might have sent them, though he hoped that he was wrong.

"Haven't you seen their flag?"

"There's no choice then," Fai ignored them, forcing himself to his feet. He winced. The methods the men had used to heal his wounds were crude - no more than simple bandages and slaves, unlike the sophisticated healing magic of the capital but he would have to put up with it for now.

"Hold it! Where are you going, young man?" the burly leader grabbed his shoulder. "If you're thinking about storming the castle all by your lonesome, I have a better proposition for you."

XX

"So they managed to flee?" Yuui felt a sigh of relief escape his lips.

"Yes, they're heading this way to the capital," Syaoran knelt before him, delivering his report. News travelled fast across the icy fields of Celes and he had not even reached the outskirts of Suwa before hearing of its fall.

"But Fai was not with them?" Yuui's voice betrayed the uneasiness he felt at that news.

"Unfortunately no," Syaoran bowed his head apologetically. "Do not fret, I will keep my faith in him and believe that he is well."

Yuui sighed and moved towards the side of his chamber, to the wide lattice windows covered with velvet drapes. Today, the maids had hung up the dark red curtains as if in mourning. Yuui drew them back to peer outside the frost-tinted glass.

"Those people are arriving too, aren't they?"

"The emissaries from Terra, yes. We will be signing a treaty of temporary alliance with them…and a declaration of war on Efferia," Syaoran replied. "Clef-sensei has sent messenger birds to all the noble families of Valeria, calling them to arms."

Yuui frowned at the thought of war. Although he knew that Clef-sensei and the other advisors were correct in wanting to raise their defences, he had always shared his mother's sentiments; not wishing to go to war unless absolutely necessary.

Now was an absolutely necessary time, right?

The emissaries had arrived not an hour ago. Yuui watched them being ushered into the throne room and bit his lip. The air quivered like the calm before a storm, nothing but restlessness moved in his blood.

Finally, the guards gave a resounding cry of; "Release the drawbridge! Open the gates!"

"That must be them!" Yuui rushed outside, leaving Syaoran far behind.

The gates opened just as Yuui made it to the courtyard. The sight emerging before his eyes lifted his heart before cruelly letting it plummet. The rag-tag bunch of survivors wearily marched in, heads bowed and weakened by the long distance they had been forced to cover in only a few days. Yuui examined them frantically but could not find a trace of his brother. Where was Fai. They would not have left him behind.

The calling; "Announcing, Lady Tomoyo and her noble brother, Lord Kurogane, Lord of Suwa!" brought Yuui's attention to Kurogane and Tomoyo, following behind the survivors on foot.

"Lord of Suwa!" he heard Kurogane snap as he gave the guard a withering glare. "My father isn't even buried in a grave yet and they're already calling _me _the Lord of Suwa!"

"Kurogane!" Tomoyo reached a hand towards him in an attempt to reign his anger. "Kurogane, you're tired."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. It's you who should be getting some rest."

"I will as long as you promise me not to do anything reckless."

"You always give me such hard tasks."

"But you'll promise me, won't you?"

"Tomoyo-chan! Kuro-chan!" Yuui chose that moment to approach them. The journey had left both a little haggard, their clothes were torn and their skin covered in dust and dirt. He tried not to look too pitying, Kurogane would surely hate that, but he had heard what had happened to Suwa, to their parents and the castle.

"Thank you for taking us in," Tomoyo curtsied.

"It's no problem, it must have been hard to come all this way so quickly. Also…I'm sorry,"

"What? You're actually capable of being considerate?" Kurogane snorted.

"How cruel! I can be kind when I want to!" Yuui tried to tease him back into their normal routine of friendly banter but Kurogane was obviously not in the mood.

"That didn't sound very sincere," he grunted and waved him away.

Yuui smiled weakly. "Rooms have been prepared for you. I'm sorry my mother can't see you right now but at present - "

"I know."

"Kuro-chan, did you see Fai on your way here?"

Kurogane halted. For once it was not the ridiculous nickname that made him pause, but confusion and slight bewilderment. "Your brother? Why would I? Didn't he leave before you did?"

Yuui felt all his hopes plunge with those innocently spoken words. Though he was tempted to say something, it would do no good to needlessly worry the siblings. He closed his mouth and shook his head. "…It's nothing. Get some rest." and although both Kurogane and Tomoyo were probably smart enough to deduce the situation, they both let it slide for now.

XX

Fai was unsure what the man had in mind when he smiled at him so wryly. It was only out of pure curiosity that he allowed himself to stay long enough to find out, but he was glad that he had made that decision.

As the men led him with torches further into the large cellar he found that there was a hollow hiding behind a stack of barrels. Peering into the darkness, he could discern enough to tell that it was a tunnel of some sort and that it appeared to be sloping downwards into some dark abyss.

"W - What's this?" he asked curiously.

"Underground passages," the man smirked. "Supposedly they lie all over Suwa, though this is the only one I know of. They were used in the past during high winter when the snow made it impossible to move in and out of the castle above land."

"Are you saying that you will raid the castle by using the passages?" Fai's heart fluttered with agitation and hope. These tunnels were a valuable asset to them but if they were not used properly they could spell disaster.

"I won't wait to die," the man replied firmly.

"But you have no weapons,.

"We have numbers."

"The enemy has more."

The leader, obviously annoyed by the level-headed objections of an outsider, snapped; "Then what would you suggest! That we stay here and see how generous they are? Maybe they won't slaughter us all! Maybe they'll just kill off a few of us at a time for their own amusement!" he raged, inciting his fellow comrades to add their furious shouts.

Fai shook his head. He would be unworthy of the title of Prince of Valeria, if he did not know how to make people listen to him, even people twice his age and twice as angry. Though he was perhaps just as eager to storm the castle, he could not be hasty. He had to think things through.

What could he do though? At best their weapons would be pitchforks and their armour made of pots and pans. Did they have nothing else? There was only alcohol in this cellar and that strange smell of…

He suddenly realised. It was the smell of medicine! Of course they had salves! They had treated his wounds. If the cellar was as well stocked as a normal apothecary then they would have more than just healing salves.

"No, I think there is a better way to attack," he murmured. "We'll sneak in under cover of night and poison their wells."

"I object!" the leader snapped immediately. "Such a cowardly tactic is unbecoming! If we are to reclaim the castle, we should do it like men and fight!"

"Quiet!" Fai hissed, his fists clenched. The sudden wave of anger that overcame him was sharp enough to make the man step back, though he was almost twice his size.

Fai turned his head in anger. He could not have people dying needlessly for some pathetic ideal of false honour.

"Don't you see that there's no honour in throwing away your lives," he muttered. "Of course the poison won't be deadly. If they do have hostages we don't want one of them to drink it" - especially if it was Yuui who was held hostage - "but we need something that will debilitate them."

The men glanced at each other and then at this young man who had suddenly charged in and taken over. His rich clothes still held some sway over their minds. What if he was a famous Lord? What if he was really a young general who knew exactly what he was doing?

After several furtive glances and half-hearted whispers, they agreed upon a course of action.

XX

Despite outward appearances, it took all of Yuui's courage to take even the few steps needed to walk from his room to the guest rooms where Kurogane and Tomoyo were staying. It took even more courage to knock on Kurogane's door, pressing his ear slightly as he strained to hear any sound.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," his voice carried across the wood. he tapped his knuckles against the door again. "Can I come in?"

Silence. At least, he heard no reply through the dark wood. He pushed the door open anyway. It was his castle - at least, he had a decent shot at inheriting it anyway - therefore he had the right to go wherever he pleased.

Poking his head through the crack between doors, he smiled cheerfully and waved a bottle of wine above his head.

"I thought you might like a drink," he suggested.

Kurogane was sitting down, seeming very small and insignificant against the vastness of his oversized bed. The overhanging trappings that fell over the posts were pushed aside in what appeared to be a fit of frustration; the silk was somewhat ripped and jumbled, most of the pillows had been pushed aside and now lay on the floor in a messy heap.

Yuui chose to make no comment on this. He did not think the excessively lavish décor would have suited Kurogane even if he had been in a better mood anyway.

"Thanks but I don't really feel in the mood to be your drinking buddy," he hear Kurogane mutter.

Yuui pushed the bottle into his arms. "It's for you."

He frowned at the bottle. "You know, I think I prefer you when you're being annoying."

"Be careful what you wish for, Kuro-pon."

Kurogane sighed, shoulders heaving as though some invisible weight was forcing him down. He pushed the bottle back and made his way towards the wide windows letting in the blue twilight.

"I want to recapture Suwa," he said without turning once to study at Yuui's reaction. He begrudgingly knew that Yuui would have been smart enough to have already guessed his intentions. "I know it's a lot to ask, but if you'd just give me some men I could…"

"We're planning that anyway," Yuui's stern voice swiftly cut through him. He had unnerving habit of doing that whenever his voice took a serious tone.

This time, Kurogane turned. "What?"

"No one has any intention of leaving Suwa alone. I'm going to march out within a few days."

"Then I'll go with you," he looked almost desperate. It was a look that did not really suit him, but Yuui would forgive him this once.

Yet when he remained silent, Kurogane turned peevish, returning to his normal stubbornness.

"Don't look at me like that! I have every right to go, more right than any lousy foot soldier that's being dragged into this battle! Besides, I have to fight, don't I? Every noble is being conscripted into the army. At least, that's what I heard!" he raged, throwing down the last pillow from his bed. It hardly made a sound when it hit the floor.

"You have to fight," Yuui conceded, "but you don't get to choose where."

Anger flashed in his eyes. "Don't give me that crap!" he bellowed. "I just lost everything in the span of a night! If you dare say that I just have to sit here whilst someone else takes Suwa back, I'll - "

"Why don't you become a knight?" Yuui interrupted him for the second time that night. "If I knight you, you could become part of my honour guard, then I'll _have_ to take you with me when I march," he smiled a little, though it was a twisted smile that Kurogane did not trust, "but would you agree to it? I don't think you're the kind of guy who would tie himself to someone like me."

"You're bearable when you're not drunk," he murmured, though not without a degree of consternation.. "Besides, I'll do anything if it means I can take Suwa back."

Yuui stared at him intently, matching Kurogane's straight-forward gaze with his own. For a moment they said and did nothing but look at each other with disquieting intensity but, just as it seemed that their staring would continue forever, Yuui suddenly broke the gaze and laughed.

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," he said.

"What?" Kurogane jerked back as though hit.

"Sorry, Kuro-rin, but I'm picky!" Yuui grinned. "Half-hearted words like that…I don't really like them, you see?" he laughed apologetically.

"Hey!" Kurogane panicked for a moment, reaching his hand out to stop him from leaving but Yuui was already at the door.

"Don't worry," he reassured him. "You'll be on a mount. I'll pull some strings for you," he said and with that closed the door.

"My, you're being so cold!"

He almost jumped as he heard that familiar voice ring out so near to him. Only one person could sneak up on him without him noticing and the feeling was not ever pleasant.

However, he managed to compose himself quickly. Without showing a trace of surprise, Yuui let go of the handle and smiled as he turned to face his companion.

"Eavesdropping is a terrible habit , Yuuto-san," he replied with insincere politeness.

"Now that Fai-kun is missing, you're so harsh to everyone!" Yuuto made a rolling, mock sigh. "You didn't even greet Freya-chan even though she was so worried about you?"

"Was she?"

"Don't play dumb!" Yuuto laughed. "I know you're much smarter than that. Smart people deserve to rule after all."

Yuui let a look of disapproval slip onto his expression. "If all that was needed to lead a country was a level-head and a cold heart, you'd be perfect for it, Yuuto-san. Why don't you try ruling this country?" he muttered, leaving Yuuto alone by Kurogane's chamber door.

"You flatter me," Yuuto smiled, "but that's not a bad idea, actually."

XX


	9. Chapter 9

Hello. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I have no idea if people even still read this fic but I'm making my slow plodding way with it regardless. Sorry again for the late update.

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**Game of thrones**

**Chapter 09**

The only thing about the plan that worried Fai was that the enemy somehow knew about the tunnels leading underground from the town to Suwa castle, or perhaps that they had been blocked by the heavy snowfall.

He shook his head. No, the tunnels had been made purposefully in case heavy snow stopped food reaching the castle, no snow would hinder them. No, but what if the enemy had blocked them some other way.

Fai shook his head again and began pacing up and down along the dingy warehouse. Whether it was because they did not trust him completely or because they sensed that he was someone important, the men had not allowed him to come with him.

It made the whole ordeal so much more frustrating to him because he knew he would not be there to prevent any screw-ups. He only hoped that the handful of men that had gone would not try to be heroes and take over the castle by themselves or try to sneak the hostages away.

He did not know how long he was left to his thoughts, imagining that something had gone wrong for every minute passed. Finally, the tunnel door opened and Fai sprung to his feet.

The burly leader of the group emerged with a smug smile. Everyone who had gone seemed to be accounted for.

"Did you do it?" Fai asked impatiently, though he knew the answer just by looking at the man's triumphant face.

"Aye, aye," the man looked besides himself with mirth. "All their wells have been spiked. Tomorrow morning they'll be as weak as kittens."

"And that's when we'll strike," Fair said thoughtfully. They had no armour and no proper weapons. Most likely it would be a bloodbath, but this way at least they had a chance.

_Yuui, _he prayed, _I hope you're safe. _

XX

The last of the preparations had been made to Yuui's mount. The horse stood obediently as it was dressed in silver and blue armour and saddled. The castle was buzzing with preparations for battle and in the midst of all the hubbub Kurogane felt his impatience grow.

The army was…well, arming itself for war. Though Yuui was only leading six hundred men - mostly foot soldiers and archers - there were supplied that needed to be loaded, armour in need of polishing, swords to sharpen, men to dress, and horses to be saddled.

Kurogane, however, had been ready to march since the crack of dawn. He now stood next to his own horse, watching the servants run too and fro with a scowl on his face. What would he not give to be marching already.

As he watched the preparations, he noticed two women - girls to be more accurate - cross the grounds and scurry towards the inner courtyard. They were too richly dressed to be mere servants and they carried themselves differently from noblewomen. Kurogane only caught a slight glimpse of their faces but from the long blonde hair he thought he saw a trace of familiarity.

"Hey, who are they?" he nodded towards the two girls. "They look like the queen. Do you have sisters?"

"Of course not!" Yuui caught sight of Freya and Chii and snorted with laughter at the very thought. "They're my cousins."

Kurogane stared at their now retreating backs and then at Yuui. They really did look alike. "That's freaky," was all he murmured.

Yuui's laughter was light and carefree. Though Kurogane knew that he was anything but carefree at the moment, it made a stark contrast with his clothes. Yuui was in silvery blue armour, enchanted for extra protection, with a long royal blue cloak around his shoulders. His helmet was tucked under his arm, with a sword slung around his hips and a staff in the other hand.

Kurogane, similarly though not as lavishly, decked in black armour and a red cloak sat on his charger waiting for the rest of the army to prepare to march. They were going to recapture Suwa, even if it cost him his life, he would take it back.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely win this battle," Yuui assured him.

"I'm not worried," he lied. "In fact, you're more nervous than I am."

"What do you mean?" Yuui smiled brightly, but there was a certain frostiness to it which told Kurogane that he had hit the nail on the head. Though any normal person would have held their tongue, Kurogane was not known for anything but brutal honesty.

"I heard that your brother has gone missing yet you have to lead this army. You can't go out and search for him," he said simply.

Yuui fiddled with the reigns of his horse; a sure sign that he was indeed nervous.

"I'm okay. I trust that he'll be fine without me," he lied poorly. "Oh, that reminds me Kuro-pon," he suddenly brightened, perhaps glad to be able to change the subject.

"Do you have to call me that?"

Yuui ignored him. Sticking two fingers in his mouth, he whistled loudly and gestured for someone to attend him.

The man who came running was dressed in servant's attire and seemed a bit of a bumbling fool, in Kurogane's personal opinion. In his hands he had a large pole wrapped in crimson cloth, which slightly skewered his balance as he came running.

"Thank you Hideki," Yuui took the thing from the servant and handed it to Kurogane. "Here."

"The dragon banner," Kurogane recognised it as soon as it was in his hands. He unfurled it and looked at it with a mixture of shame and disgust. All it did was serve to remind him how pathetically he had failed to defend his home. "I don't want it," he handed it back to Yuui. "I'm not a knight and, before you say it, don't call me the Lord of Suwa!"

Yuui, however, refused to accept it. "We all have our responsibilities," he pushed the banner back into Kurogane's hands. "I thought you were a big, tough man! Don't me that you can't stand its weight."

Kurogane reddened with anger. He really was in no mood to be baited.

"Fine," he snatched the banner from his hand, "This is nothing. I can bear much more than this!"

Yuui nodded appreciatively and mumbled under his breath; "Good. I have a much heavier one to carry," his eyes betrayed a look of weariness for just a second before he masked it over with an expression of nonchalance.

Kurogane's sharp eyes, however, caught it flicker of tiredness before it could disappear and his attitude softened a little toward the prince. True, he was annoying, loud and obnoxious but Yuui was also going through his own hardships. His kingdom was threatened, he was about to throw himself into a long, bloody battle, and his only brother was missing when he needed him the most. In their common grief, something almost tender reached out and touched him, made him feel more forgiving towards Yuui.

"Then you should ask someone else to share the burden with you," Kurogane said thoughtfully, almost as if he were talking two himself.

"Someone like you, Kuro-chi?" Yuui never missed a beat and Kurogane turned his face away.

XX

"Lady Chii," Tomoyo had caught sight of the two princesses just as Freya had left Chii to wander somewhere else. Chii remained in the courtyard looking lost and Tomoyo, though she had enough to worry about, could not help but approach her.

She knew who Chii was on sight. Only someone as wilfully ignorant of royalty and all their intrigue like her brother were unable to identify members of the royal family on sight.

"Who are you?" Chii looked up from where she sat at the courtyard fountain to find a strange black-haired young woman smiling benevolently at her. She sensed no ill-will from her but she was rather at a loss on how to talk to strangers. Fortunautely, the woman made spoke first.

"Tomoyo, Lady Chii, unfortunately we couldn't meet at the queen's ball," Tomoyo curtsied.

"Freya asked me to stay behind."

"Lady Freya? Your sister?" she could not help but frown. Why had Freya done that? What purpose would that serve?

"She's with Yuuto right now," Chii nodded and kicked her feet against the stone fountain.

Tomoyo smiled. She knew that she was talking to royalty - though Chii was only the twelfth in line - but somehow Tomoyo felt like she was talking to a child. There were certainly no airs about her. In fact she seemed…a little too innocent to be of royal blood.

"Is Yuuto…her special person?" Tomoyo asked politely.

"Special person?" Chii looked baffled. "What do you mean by special person?"

The smile on her face faltered slightly. Somehow, Tomoyo was beginning to feel like a parent explaining the birds and the bees to her child. "Well, it's someone…who you treasure of above everyone else. Your most important person. The one for you and only you," she said, offering the most chaste explanation she knew of.

If anything was amiss, Chii did not notice. "Yuuto is nice," she admitted, "but I don't think he's Freya's special person. I don't think Freya likes him."

"What about you? Do you have a special person?"

"A person for me and only me?" her cheeks reddened, betraying her, perhaps she was not as naïve as Tomoyo had suspected, but Chii herself did not answer the question.

"I see."

"But Chii thinks Freya is very important too. Chii would do anything for Freya. Anything at all," Chii continued and a wide smile lit up her face, though there was something odd in the fervour in her voice when she talked of her sister.

"…I see," Tomoyo smiled. She thought of her brother Kurogane and the battle which he was soon departing for.

What had happened at Suwa had been a big blow for him, for both of them, yet she had not seen him cry at all. He was keeping it all in, pretending to be strong. She just wished that he too knew that she would do anything for him too.

XX

How many days had they spent marching from sunrise to sundown? Kurogane knew that they were pushing their steeds more than normal in an attempt to arrive at Suwa quickly but despite their trouble-free march it still felt as if it had taken far too long to finally arrive in Suwa.

For most of the journey Kurogane had been tetchy and bad-tempered, refusing to talk to anyone and keeping himself to himself. Even Yuui bothered him a lot less than normal, though that may have also been because he had an army to lead.

It was not until one of the scouts rode back crying; "Prince Yuui! We will soon be entering Suwa!" that Kurogane felt as though he rreally were here. Everything else seemed like a distant dream.

Yuui nodded. "Make preparations," he ordered the scout. The man saluted and fell back to relay his orders to the trailing army.

Mechanically, Yuui lifted his staff into the air. The blue crystal set on top the staff began to glow and a whirl of snow erupted from the tip, expanding like a whirlwind until it covered not simply the army but the ground around them for many miles.

"What are you doing?" Kurogane noticed that the snow was not cold. In fact, it passed right through him when it touched him, like the remains of a ghost.

"We can't have the enemy seeing us, can we?" Yuui smiled and lowered his staff. The snowstorm wrapped itself around them and continued to blow. "We'll proceed like this. What's the matter, Kuro-pon? Astounded by my genius?" he winked playfully.

"Any child could have come up with this ploy!" Kurogane snorted, though he was slightly impressed by the ease with which Yuui could conjure such a large spell. Though the snow storm whirled around them, he could see perfectly through the false wind and ice, though he knew it would be quite different for the enemy.

"Look, you can just about see the castle on the horizon," Yuui pointed to the small blackish clump in the distance, which indicated the turrets of Suwa castle.

Though Kurogane had decidedly told himself that he would not allow foolish sentimentality to hinder him in battle, a large lump rose to his throat regardless. That castle had been where he had grown up, where all his good memories lay, now besmirched and tainted by tragedy. They had not even had time to bury his parents yet.

"The sun is going down," he said, his voice betraying nothing of what he felt inside.

"Perfect, don't you think?" Yuui nodded. "The perfect night to start a war."

* * *

XX


End file.
